


The Winds Awaken

by Merzibelle



Series: The Master of the Hunt [1]
Category: NCIS
Genre: Alternate Universe, M/M, Paganism, Season/Series 07 Spoilers
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2013-09-15
Updated: 2013-09-14
Packaged: 2017-12-26 14:43:01
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 25
Words: 45,012
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/967155
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Merzibelle/pseuds/Merzibelle
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>In the aftermath of the Major Crimes Response Team's trip to Somalia to rescue Ziva David, Tim McGee realizes he can no longer hide in the shadows. Chosen by the Lord of the Underworld to lead the Wild Hunt and maintain the balance between Light and Dark, he has a great deal more skill and talent than he has revealed to his team. He's also a man finally taking a chance on love. It's time to take up all the duties charged to him or step aside. His life just got very interesting indeed.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> Disclaimer: NCIS is ©2003-2012 Belisarius Productions. Created by Donald P. Bellisario and Don McGill. Produced by Belisarius Productions in association with Paramount Television (2003–06), CBS Paramount Television (2006–09) and CBS Television Studios (2009–present). No copyright infringement is intended.
> 
> Author's Notes/Preface: Spoilers for NCIS S7x01 "Truth or Consequences" and NCIS S7x02 "Reunion"' Later scenes in this story contain actually dialogue from "Reunion" suitably adapted for this Alternate Universe. The title of Master of the Hunt and some of Timothy's duties are inspired by Katherine Kurtz's Adept series of fantasy novels. His actual beliefs and practices are made up by me from a variety of sources and are not intended to represent any real world Pagan/Wiccan groups.

**CHAPTER ONE**

Tim draped an arm over his eyes. He ached all over. The ride back from Somalia in the military C130 did nothing but aggravate his injuries. His ribs protested every deep breath he took while his head throbbed in time with his pulse. For all that his body had finally relaxed down into Gibbs’s surprisingly comfortable couch, a handmade quilt draped over him by his boss before Gibbs disappeared somewhere in the house, his mind was far too active. He couldn’t rest. He wanted, needed, something which he knew only Gibbs could give him.

A sigh escaped him. He knew he should just force himself to sleep; however, he couldn’t do it. He took as deep a breath as he could and let it out slowly. Tossing the quilt away, Tim slowly sat up. He bent forward, resting his arms on his thighs and letting his hands drop between his legs. Sitting up actually made him feel better. The painkillers given to him at the Yard before they left for the night had finally kicked in. Experimentally, he pushed himself up until he was standing. Despite every muscle loudly protesting, his legs were steady.

Slowly, Tim navigated around the coffee table toward the arched entrance to the living room. He leaned against the frame for a moment. He cocked his head to the side, listening closely, and smiled as the faint sounds of metal on metal accompanied by the ping of screws dropping into a glass echoed toward him. It seemed that as Tony mentioned so often, Gibbs had retreated to his basement. Tim was fairly certain his boss was dismantling and cleaning his rifle before putting it away again.

Direction now established, Tim pushed off the wall and carefully made his way through the house. He stopped at the door to the basement stairs. His head protested, told him he should leave Gibbs to his solitude, but his heart and soul screamed that he needed to go downstairs. A gentle push opened the door. He stepped onto the landing to gaze down at Gibbs where the man was painstakingly taking apart his sniper rifle, each piece laid precisely on the table before him.

“Just gonna stand there all night, McGee?”

“Didn’t want to interrupt.” Tim chuckled before making his way down the stairs. “Anything I can do?”

“The pistol you took off Saleem needs doing.”

Tim dragged a stool over to the workbench and sat. He reached over for the pistol and began dismantling it. Tim focused his full attention on the pistol, carefully cleaning each piece and sighing as he realized just how dirty the gun was; Saleem certainly didn’t maintain his weapons. They worked in a companionable silence with Tim stealing the occasional sidelong glance at the older man beside him. “Didn’t think we’d be allowed to keep this.”

“Why not?”

“It is evidence.” Tim set the final piece in place and racked the slide to be certain everything worked properly. Satisfied, he slapped the magazine into place and flicked the safety on. “Shouldn’t it be in lockup?”

“I saw you use it to guard Ziva and Tony.” Gibbs shrugged one shoulder. “You looked comfortable with it and need a backup anyway.”

“What about...?” Tim trailed off. He laid the weapon aside with a soft sigh. “I forgot about Gitmo. No trials, no need for the evidence.”

Tim shifted about on the stool to face Gibbs directly. He watched through lowered lashes as his boss slowly and methodically cleaned each piece of the rifle before beginning to reassemble the weapon. Every part was examined, cleaned, brushed, oiled before being laid out ready to resume life as a deadly weapon. The silence was heavy but expectant as Gibbs reversed his actions to reassemble the M40A1 rifle. The final click as the barrel locked into place actually caused Tim to jump slightly as he’d not been expecting it. A soft, rare chuckle slipped from Gibbs as the man stroked a cloth down the barrel and over the grip.

Gibbs lifted the rifle. He held it out with the barrel resting in the palm of his hand while he sighted down the barrel. Tim sucked his lower lip in between his teeth. There was just something about Gibbs when he held that weapon. As tempting as it was to say something, he could still remember the way his boss had shot him down years ago when he said he looked sweet holding the rifle. As Gibbs stroked his fingers along the underside of the rifle, Tim swallowed back a moan.

“It’s still sweet how you hold that, Boss.” Tim chewed on his lip for a moment. There was no going back now. He might as well say it all. “If that rifle was a woman, I’d think it was your lover.”

“Sweet?” Gibbs gave him a look over the rifle as he lifted it and resumed oiling the exterior. “McGee...”

“Not the best choice of words, I know. You shot me down the last time I said it as well.” Tim swallowed hard as he watched Gibbs work. His control already lowered by the strong narcotics coursing through his system, Tim could only take so much of watching Gibbs stroking that rifle while imagining those hands stroking his body just as methodically. Finally, the restraint he’d so painstakingly learned over the years snapped. He reached out and wrapped one hand around the rifle. He gently tugged it from Gibbs’s hands to lay it aside on the workbench. He wrapped the other hand around the back of Gibbs’s neck. He used the light hold to pull the other man close to him. “Perhaps you’d prefer sexy as all hell.”

Tim didn’t give Gibbs a chance to respond. He slipped off the stool in order to close the final gap between them. He kissed Gibbs the way he’d wanted to for years, almost since their first meeting but definitely after the way Gibbs so publicly claimed him for himself in the middle of the bullpen, and closed his eyes to savor the unique combination of coffee, bourbon and Gibbs that made up the other man. Only when air was no longer an option but a demand did Tim break the kiss.

“Tell me you don’t want me,” he murmured. “Tell me that and I’ll walk away, sleep on your sofa and never mention this again.” Tim brought his other hand up to cup Gibbs’s face in his hands. “Tell me now, Jethro, or I’m going to take you – hard and fast – the way we both need right now.”

“McGee...” Gibbs hands came up to clasp his wrists. “Tim...”

Tim smothered the barely formed protest in another kiss. He twisted them around until Gibbs’s back was pressed against the workbench. He trailed one hand down over the other man’s chest to rest over his heart. “Jethro...” Tim slid his fingers through Gibbs hair. “I want...”

“Yes.”

The softly spoken word snapped the final thin threads of Tim’s control. He claimed another kiss while curling his fingers around the collar of the worn thin t-shirt Gibbs wore. A hard jerk rent the fabric, the tearing sound loud in the silence of the basement. Tim quickly tugged the shirt off and tossed it away while his fingers stroked over Gibbs’s chest. “Do you have any idea...?”

“Quit talking, McGee.”

“Tim.” He nipped lightly at Gibbs’s lower lip before shifting his attention to his soon-to-be lover’s throat. He nuzzled beneath his jaw. He licked the thin skin beneath one ear before blowing lightly on the spot. Tim chuckled at Gibbs’s responsive moan. “I wish I could mark you… let everyone know you’re mine.”

“Why don’t you?”

“Work.” Tim leaned back far enough to watch Gibbs’s eyes as he teased the other man’s nipples with his thumbs. He bent forward and licked one before catching it in his teeth and tugging gently. “Doubt you want it out there yet.”

“Get on with it, Tim.” Gibbs’s pulled hard on his hair until Tim lifted his head to look at him. “You ain’t the only one who’s been waiting.”

A low growl escaped from Tim. His considered Gibbs for a moment then bent forward to bite hard at the join of Gibbs neck and shoulder. He caught a bit of the skin there in his teeth, worried at it, and sucked for a bit while running his hands over the other man’s skin. He pulled away with a soft pop. “Strip, Jethro,” he ordered while taking a step back.

Tim watched Gibbs watch him as he quickly stripped off his own clothes before plastering himself against the other’s naked body. He resolved to take the time to slowly undress and tease his lover the next time. This wasn’t the time for slow and sweet lovemaking; this was hard and fast life-affirming sex. He pinned Gibbs against the workbench. He buried one hand in the fine hair at Gibbs’s nape to pull him in for another deep kiss while sliding the other hand down until he could pull one of Gibbs’s legs over his hip. Panting for breath, Tim broke the kiss. “We need...”

“Shelf over the bench.” Gibbs tilted his head in the proper direction.

Tim grabbed the bottle in question, flipping it open and coating his fingers. He wasn’t even going to ask why his lover kept a bottle of lube with the strange name of Gun Oil in his basement. He had more important things to do. He made short work of prepping the older man, his patience rapidly ending, and pulled away just enough to stroke a hand over his own aching cock. He stared intently at Gibbs.

“You sure, Jethro,” he panted. All he wanted to do was sink deep in Gibbs and fuck him within an inch of his life. “Because I do this, then you’re mine. No more redheads. I’m very possessive.”

“So am I.” Gibbs snarled the words as he jerked Tim back to him. “Shut up and...”

Gibbs words broke off abruptly when he took the older man. Tim couldn’t decide if the sound he made was a deep moan or a low scream. Either way, he decided he liked it. Pulling back, he thrust deep again, shifting the angle a bit with each thrust until he forced a soft, yet passionate cry out of his lover. Tim grinned at the sound, knowing he found Gibbs’s prostate, and bent forward to claim another kiss.

“Gods, love this... love those sounds you make...” He panted the words between kisses. He shifted his position to bury his face in Gibbs’s neck. “Feel so good, Jethro.”

“Fuck, Tim... yes...”

Tim found the faint mark he’d already left low on his lover’s throat and sucked hard at it again. He wanted to lay complete claim to this man. Strong, hard, powerful, and yet so willing to surrender to him. Tim rested one hand on the workbench, using it to brace himself while he pounded into Gibbs’s willing body, and slipped the other between them to curl around Gibbs’s cock. He stroked him in counterpoint to his increasingly hard thrusts. Once, twice, and then Gibbs threw his head back, arching against him as a deep moan punctuated his release.

He pulled away from Gibbs neck. A visceral thrill went through him at the sight of the dark bruise marring his lover’s skin. He stroked Gibbs through his orgasm even as the hot tight clasp of the older man’s body around his cock pulled him over the edge. He all but screamed as he came before dropping forward to almost rest against Gibbs’s body. Tim braced his hands on the workbench, panting for breath, and shook sweat soaked hair out of his eyes.

“What the hell was that, Tim?”

“If you have to ask, I did something wrong.” Tim laughed softly at Gibbs slight frown. He leaned forward to claim one last kiss before easing away from the older man. “I’ll try again in a minute.”

Laughter, surprisingly happy laughter at that, echoed through the basement. Gibbs reached up and stroked his fingers through Tim’s hair. Tim leaned into the caress with a soft sigh. “Hopefully in a bed,” he murmured. “I’m too old for this.”

“Definitely. I want a chance to savor you.” Tim straightened up and smiled. He held a hand out to Gibbs. “Shower first?”

“Definitely.” A hand wrapped around his. A sharp jerk pulled him against Gibbs body again. “I like the assertive you, Tim. You should act like this at work not just here.” Before Tim could speak, Gibbs free hand tangled in his hair. This time it was Gibbs who initiated their kiss. Tim closed his eyes and moaned low in his throat before the kiss broke. “Shower... bed... then I get to fuck you into the mattress, Tim.”


	2. Chapter 2

**CHAPTER TWO**

The scent of coffee drifting up from the kitchen woke Gibbs. His attempt to get up was thwarted by a heavy weight half-sprawled on his chest. Initially, he couldn’t figure out what the weight was then the memories of the previous night rushed back. Groaning, he eased his way out from beneath McGee to lay on his side and consider his bedmate. McGee slept in that carefree sprawl most often seen in young children. He took up a good half the bed with most of the covers tangled around him. Gibbs bit back a chuckle as McGee snuffled in his sleep. He looked so much like that green twenty-something probie he’d pulled away from Norfolk and nothing like the experienced field agent he’d become over the years.

 Gibbs watched him sleep. His fingers itched to stroke through McGee’s hair. He thought back to the previous night – how assertive McGee had been in claiming him – and the deep trust the younger man had shown as he’d all but fallen asleep in the shower. It had been years, far too many if Gibbs was honest, since someone had shown that amount of trust in him. Only now did he realize he’d missed it. As he watched McGee, the other man mumbled inaudibly and rolled onto his back. The covers slid down. Pale skin, marred with deep bruises along his ribs, now lay exposed to Gibbs’s hungry gaze. He reached out and hooked one finger beneath a rise of the covers. He eased them away from McGee’s body until he could toss them toward the foot of the bed. Gibbs surveyed the body now exposed to him and hummed softly in appreciation.

Dark blond hair, free of the gel McGee so often used to tame it, fell in loose strands over his forehead hiding the small cuts from the fight in the terrorist camp. Impossibly long lashes cast shadows on his cheeks while a barely there smile graced his lips. Lips Gibbs could easily imagine wrapped around his cock. He reached out and just skimmed his fingers along the bruises blossoming over McGee’s ribs on his way to circling one pale peach nipple. It immediately peaked at his touch. He’d known McGee’s skin was sensitive; however, seeing just how sensitive it was to his touch made him swallow.

He let his hand drift over McGee’s body. He kept his touch as light as possible, not wanting to wake his new lover. Not yet. Soon, but definitely not now. Gibbs ghosted his fingers down over McGee’s hip, slowly resting his hand there, and let his thumb stroke over the hollow of the joint of thigh and hip. He could feel the throb of McGee’s pulse, slow and steady as the young man slept on. A soft noise, an almost sleepy purr, escaped McGee as he shifted on the bed. Gibbs held still, almost holding his breath, until he was certain McGee still slept.

Only when McGee was still again did Gibbs allow himself to continue his survey of the other man. Long legs – all of McGee’s height was in his legs – which Gibbs suspected would readily wrap around his hips any time he took his lover. His leisurely survey done, Gibbs focused his attention on McGee’s semi-hard cock. He shifted about on the bed while letting his hand ease over to wrap around it. A shudder raced through McGee’s sleeping body.

Gibbs shifted one last time to settle in just the right spot. He switched hands. He stroked the first up and off McGee’s cock while the other wrapped around the base. Resting his now free hand on the other side of McGee, Gibbs bent over him and sucked just the head of the younger man’s cock into his mouth. He teased at the slit, lapping at the first drops of precome, and barely managed to contain his moan at the taste. While he debated over the options, Gibbs stroked the shaft of McGee’s cock and gently sucked on the head. He decided to tease his lover and see how long it took him to wake up. He leisurely sucked him slowly taking more and more of McGee’s cock into his mouth while his other hand began to fondle his lover’s balls. McGee’s cock hardened, thickened, and an increasing tension tightened his muscles. Gibbs knew the exact moment McGee woke as long fingers threaded through his hair. He lifted his head. A soft pop echoed as he released McGee’s cock from his mouth and smirked at the curse which slipped from McGee. “Morning, Tim.”

“Fuck, Jethro, don’t stop.”

“Want something?” Gibbs stroked his lover’s cock while he spoke. “Tell me what you want, Tim.”

“Your mouth... my cock... right now.”

“Is that so?” Chuckling, Gibbs stoked up and off McGee’s cock. He trailed his fingers down over one thigh and around until he could just tease at the younger man’s entrance. “What if I want something else...?”

“That’s good too, Jethro.” McGee reached up and grabbed him. He was pulled down and hungrily kissed. “Don’t care. Just do something.”

“I did tell you I was going to do something last night.” Gibbs circled his finger around McGee’s rim, just hard enough to be felt, but not hard enough to penetrate. “You fell asleep in the shower.”

“Hmm... so I did.” McGee half-groaned, half-hummed in response. He reached for his cock, but Gibbs slapped his hand away. “Fuck me, Jethro. Please...”

“Since you asked nicely.” Gibbs bent down and took McGee’s mouth in a demanding kiss. Blindly, he reached out and dug beneath his pillow for the lube bottle he’d stashed there the previous night. He broke the kiss and nudged against the inside of McGee’s thigh. The silent order to spread his legs was instantly obeyed. Gibbs climbed over McGee’s leg to settle between his thighs. “I think I can manage that.”

He coated his fingers with lube and set to preparing his young lover. He resumed his leisurely stroking of McGee’s cock. Gibbs watched McGee’s eyes darken as the dueling sensations deepened the other man’s arousal. He’d waited far too long to have McGee in his bed to draw this out. Instead, he quickly prepared his lover before lining up and taking him in one hard thrust.

“Fuck... yes.” McGee arched beneath him. “Want you... Jethro...”

With his cock buried deep in McGee, Gibbs stilled. He clenched his teeth as his lover’s muscles spasmed around him in response to the penetration. He caught one leg behind the knee and brought it up to wrap around his hip. The other followed as he bent forward for another kiss. Gibbs rested his weight on his forearms and gently bit McGee’s lower lip as he broke the kiss. “You remember what you told me last night?”

“You want me to think now?” The breathless sentence was panted against Gibbs’s cheek. “Which part...?”

“The possessive part.” Gibbs dropped teasing kisses along McGee’s jaw. “Goes both ways.”

“Yeah.” McGee arched his neck. Gibbs nibbled at the newly exposed skin. “I remember.”

“You’re mine, Tim.” Gibbs started to thrust. Slow, deep, and steady, shifting the angle until one deep thrust drew a small scream from the man beneath him. He nuzzled McGee’s neck and teased at the thin skin behind one ear. What he knew was a wicked smile curved his lips as he caught a bit of that skin in his mouth and sucked on it. He released it to murmur. “Mine and I don’t share so I better not catch you with anyone else.”

“Okay.” McGee panted. His short nails dug into Gibbs’s shoulder. “Harder, Gibbs, faster. Goddess, need to come... please...”

“Yeah, Tim.” Gibbs filed away the words and rose up on his knees. The change in position allowed him to take McGee harder and deeper while also stroking his cock. He panted for breath, struggling to hold back his own orgasm in order to watch McGee fall apart for him. “Come for me.”

A particular hard thrust caused McGee to tense. His back arched and his hands clenched on Gibbs’s shoulders. He was certain that he’d have deep scratches as a reward. A choked off scream escaped McGee before he collapsed on the bed. Gibbs growled deep in his throat as the muscles spasms around his cock forced his own climax from him. Exhausted, yet content, he dropped down to rest most of his weight on McGee. Another lazy smile curved his lips as he pressed a gentle kiss to McGee’s. “Yup, definitely a good morning.”

“A very good morning...” A breathless laugh escaped his lover. Before Gibbs could blink again, McGee’d flipped them and was straddling his hips. “I like your idea of an alarm clock.”

“So,” Gibbs began. He rested his hands on McGee’s hips and stroked his thumbs in the hollows. “What shall we do today?”

“As much as I’d rather spend all day in bed with you...” Tim smiled down at him. Gibbs watched as McGee’s eyes unfocused slightly as he seemed to work though a few things. “You need to report in to SECNAV and JSOC about the mission. Tony and I have physicals and debriefs of our own and then evaluations with psych services and…”

“And Ziva needs physically recover before her own debriefings.”

“Yeah.” Tim leaned down until he could rest his forearms on Gibbs’s chest. An almost shy smile, incongruous at best considering the intimacy of their current position, curved Tim’s lips. “So we have to get up and go in to work but…”

“Tonight…” Gibbs punctuated the word with a quick hard kiss. “You are mine again.”

“As you wish.”


	3. Chapter 3

**CHAPTER THREE**

Tim waved a hand as Gibbs’s Charger pulled past him to turn off onto the 14th Street Bridge in order to continue on to the Navy Yard while he continued up the George Washington Parkway before picking up 495 to get to Bethesda. As he drove through congested rush hour traffic, Tim pondered the early morning call from Ducky. The medical examiner was angry with him – even more so than with Tony and Ziva who’d gone home with him – for downplaying his injuries. Since Ziva had collapsed when attempting to get out of Abby’s car the previous night, they were all three suffering the ‘Wrath of Ducky’ and going to get full hospital workups today. The only reason Gibbs wasn’t going in now was because of the meeting with SECNAV though he was under orders to show up afterwards.

After suffering through stop-n-go traffic on the highway, Tim finally pulled in and parked at the hospital. He sat for a moment, a hand resting on his side, and frowned as he knew Ducky was going to fuss at him for not resting overnight. With a soft, resigned sigh, he climbed out of the Porsche and started toward the building to smile a hello at Ducky standing beneath the entrance awning. “Morning, Ducky.”

“Good morning, Timothy.” There was absolutely no welcome in the Medical Examiner’s voice. He’d not heard him that cold to anyone on the team since he’d forgiven Gibbs for leaving so abruptly after the Pinpin Pula case. “Did you remember your overnight bag?”

“My go bag is in the car.” Tim frowned. He didn’t remember Ducky asking him to bring a bag with him and his memory was pretty good for most things. He was certain Gibbs wasn’t that much of a distraction to him. “I had plans for tonight. I’m fine.”

“You do not have an option, Timothy. Unless, of course, you want me to declare you unfit for duty and send you home for an indeterminate time.”

“Right.” Tim slumped slightly and nodded. He was already dreading how long it would take to pass the psych evaluations. He didn’t want Ducky adding time on top of that wait. “You’re worried about my ribs and will be lecturing me soundly soon enough. I’ll go get the bag from the car.”

“I’ll wait right here.”

Tim smiled and nodded. He turned smartly on his heel and headed back to his car. He took a couple of minutes to secure it properly before retrieving his bag from the trunk. He started to toss it over his shoulder like he usually did but hissed in a breath as his ribs protested the action. Frowning, angrier with himself than anyone else, he returned to Ducky’s side and held the bag out to him. “You win.”

“Indeed.” There was only resignation in Ducky’s voice. He waved a hand toward the entrance. “This way.”

Tim glanced sidelong at Ducky as they walked through the corridors of the hospital. The elderly man always reminded him of his favorite grandfather – the one who’d often made him feel two inches tall with a look when he’d done something wrong – and who he hated to upset even as a small child. “Ducky?” He asked the question cautiously. “Are you going to yell at me?”

“I do not need to raise my voice to tell you exactly what I think of your behavior.”

“All right.” Ducky was right. He never had to raise his voice to correct him. It was like living with his grandfather again. Tim just barely chuckled. “Lecture then.”

“I can understand why you went to Somalia. If I had been your age and someone I cared about was held hostage by terrorists I would have done the same thing.” Ducky paused outside an exam room door. “But to come back, all of you, and assume that everything, from your bodies to your minds, would just return to what they were before you left is the height of stupidity. I expected better of you, Timothy.”

Yup, he felt about two inches tall now. Tim slouched. He felt more than a bit like his teenage self when he’d rebelled briefly against the standards expected of military dependents. “I stayed with the Boss last night. I…” He wondered how much he could say to Ducky; he hadn't asked Gibbs about if they were keeping things a secret or not. He decided to err on the side of caution until told otherwise. “I had some trouble sleeping for a while but...” He trailed off and nodded. “This would be where you tell me I shouldn't have slept with a probable concussion and my ribs should have been properly checked.”

“Then I shall save my breath and not repeat it.” Ducky pushed the door they were standing beside open. “In here.”

“I’m sorry, Ducky.” Tim followed him into the exam room and hopped up onto the table. He watched as the other man set down his bag on the chair in the corner before washing his hands and pulling on gloves. “In my defense, I was pretty exhausted when we got back.”

“And last night?” Ducky pulled back from his examination of the small cuts and bruises on his head and scalp. He gave him one of those long measuring looks of his, the ones that made them all jump to do what he asked or correct what they’d done wrong. “Did you think about your ribs and your head then?”

“Honestly…?” Tim ducked his head and blushed. Once he’d gotten into the basement with Gibbs, he’d not thought of anything but the quiet company of the other man and what he so desperately wanted to have with him. “Not really.”

“I didn’t think so.” There was a smile in the man’s eyes which wasn’t reflected on his face. “Let’s look at those ribs.”

“Would it help if I told you all the injuries first?”

“No. I want to see them for myself.”

“Yes, sir.” Tim took a deep breath and held it by biting his lower lip. He slowly eased his shirt off then let the breath out on an explosive sigh. “The ribs are the worst.”

“I can see that.” Ducky pressed against his ribs. Tim winced and bit back a groan. Ducky tutted softly as he continued looking at the still darkening bruises. “Can I assume that the finger marks are more recent?”

“This one…” Ignoring what he was certain was a very deep blush, Tim reached up and brushed his fingers over his collarbone. He closed his eyes for a moment as his body momentarily tightened at the memory of Gibbs worrying at his skin with his teeth in the shower just an hour or so before. He forced his eyes open again and smiled. “This one, the bruise up under my ear and the finger mark bruises on my hips. Yeah… those are more recent.”

“Well…” Ducky drew the word out in a way which made Tim’s already hot face even hotter. “If you survived that, then you head must be considerably less damaged than your ribs.”

“I have a headache. Not too bad of one, but I do.”

“All right. We’ll check it, but I think it’s your ribs that need the most work.” Ducky made a few notes on Tim’s latest chart before looking at him again. “Is there anything else I need to know?”

“Um…” Tim debated for a moment before letting out a breath. Oh, there were things he really should consider having checked but he still wasn’t certain how much he could say to Ducky. “Saleem kicked me in my right ankle.”

“And you have been walking on it without checking for bruising of the bone or damage to the tendon.” The arctic chill returned to Ducky’s voice. “Shoes and socks off.”

Tim gave Ducky what he hoped was a resigned rather than pissed off look. He groaned as he shifted about to take off his sneakers and socks. He set those beside him on the exam table rather than bending to try to reach the floor. “I am going to die of embarrassment before you’re done, Ducky.”

“You should have thought of that before you decided to do without medical attention.”

“The SEAL team’s medic…” Tim trailed off at the stern look he received. “Not good enough, I know, but I’m not sure how to…” He shoved his hand through his hair in frustration. “Dammit, Ducky.”

“What is so embarrassing about having your ankle and your ribs taped, Timothy?”

“You’re our official medical contact, Ducky. You clear us. And I know if you even think I’m hiding anything, you won’t clear me for even desk work until I passed the psych eval, but...” Tim trailed off again. “I didn’t... I feel like a teenager talking to my grandfather again before I went to MIT.”

“Tim, were you raped?”

“What? No! Oh, no, no, that’s not it.” Tim shook his head hard. He then forced himself to focus on Ducky’s face. “Though I suspect Ziva was while she was there. No, it’s... Ducky, promise me this stay between us?”

“I _am_ your doctor, Timothy.”

“Right.” Tim took a deep breath. He then spoke quickly before he lost his nerve. “Last night was the first time in thirteen years I’ve had sex with a man. So I have some very interesting muscle aches on top of the pain in my ribs.”

“Understandable.” A smile came and went so quickly that Tim wasn’t certain he actually saw it. “I will assume Jethro is in the same condition and act accordingly.”

“I didn’t think to talk to him about if we were keeping this quiet or not.”

“It would be difficult to go public with this especially since you both work for the same team.  The rules are clear about it. And let’s face it; it would be far worse for the two of you.”

“I know.” Tim nodded, resigned to hiding the relationship he’d wanted so badly for so long. “So, I didn’t know how to bring it up. I... I ache, Ducky. I’m not in pain except when I breathe deeply, but I ache.”

“Well, then, we’ll check you in, take care of the ribs and the ankle…” Ducky made more notes on his chart. “After you have an MRI to check that there’s nothing wrong in your head, I’ll see that you get some nice painkillers. If today and tonight go well, nothing else surfacing, you can go home tomorrow.”

“Okay.” A barely there chuckle escaped him. “I’m sure Tony got a long lecture about sand, dust and his scarred lungs. Is Ziva…?” Tim trailed off into silence. He wasn’t exactly certain how to phrase the question or even what exactly he wanted to ask. “How is she? She told Tony...” Tim paused and bowed his head. “She told Tony that she was ready to die when they dragged her to where we were being held.”

“She was badly hurt Tim. Both physically and emotionally. And in usual Ziva fashion she tried to ignore it. It’s going to be rough for her for a while.”

“Understood.” Tim bowed his head. He absently clasped one wrist with the other hand and rubbed at the inside of his wrist with his thumb. There were things he wished he could do for Ziva but knew he couldn’t without her permission so he settled for barely whispering a request to one of the goddesses he often worked with when he needed to request healing for someone.

“I asked too. The answer I got was ambiguous at best.”

Tim’s head came up sharply. He stared at Ducky with widening eyes. He trusted the other man deeply, otherwise he never would have spoken the request in front of him; however, the implication of those words stunned him. “Ducky?”

In response, Ducky rolled up one sleeve and removed his wristwatch. Hidden beneath the leather band were three hieroglyphic symbols in deep black ink. The mark was old but still dark and fresh. He could feel the power of it now that Ducky was no longer hiding it. Tim reached out almost touching them but stopped inches from Ducky’s skin. He looked up, met Ducky’s eyes, and examined him intently for deceit. Finally, Tim nodded an acknowledgment of the trust given to him. “My patron likes her but healing isn’t His… usual venue.”

“My Lady tells me she will heal in her own time. We must help but not interfere.”

“Good enough.” Tim tilted his head to the side and dropped his hand. “Thank you for telling me, Ducky.”

“I have been waiting for the proper time.”

“One of my faults.” Tim watched as Ducky replaced his watch and rolled down his sleeve again. “I never know how or when to tell people outside my own small circle. I often get ‘lectured’ about it.”

“It wasn’t you, Timothy. My patron works very differently from yours. I was told to wait.”

“Mine’s sometimes very demanding.” Tim laughed softly. To say that Ducky’s patron goddess, the fearsome Sekhmet, worked differently was an understatement. “I know that yours is a much more hands on deity than mine sometimes. She’d be certain you did as She told you.”

“Oh yes.” Ducky smiled. There was something wicked to that smile. “She is a jealous goddess, my Lioness.”

“So I’ve heard.” Tim leaned his head back, stared at the ceiling, and took a few deep breaths. “Okay, I promise to not complain anymore when you insist we get looked at. Now that I know, She may smack me for disobeying my doctor.”

“And your patron might let Her, just to teach you a lesson. Now let’s get you checked in.”

“Oh, He would indeed.” Tim smiled and absently rubbed the back of his head. “Thank you, Ducky.”

“You’re quite welcome, my boy.”

Two words and Tim relaxed completely. He slumped slightly to ease his pain and smiled. It was amazing how having Ducky refer to him as ‘my boy’ with such fatherly affection made him feel infinitely better.

“You have done well indeed.” Ducky’s fingers threaded through his hair. “My Lady bids me to tell you She admires your warrior spirit.”

“Thank you. And thank Her for me when you speak to Her again.” Tim blushed as he debated asking for what he so desperately wanted right now. Thinking about it, he knew Ducky would understand completely. “Ducky? Could I have a hug?”

“Let’s get you taped up and into bed.” Warm arms wrapped around him. A soft chuckle echoed through the room. Tim let his head drop onto Ducky’s shoulder. His body suddenly realized he was home, safe, and could relax his guard again. “You need sleep.”

Tim nodded against Ducky’s shoulder. He couldn’t speak as his body totally relaxed. He just wrapped his arms around the older man and rested against him. Another soft chuckle escaped Ducky as hands guided him back to lie on the bed. “I shall go fetch an orderly and a chair. You’re not in any shape to walk.”

“Thanks, Ducky.” Tim let himself be settled down. “For everything.”

“You’re welcome, my boy.” Again, warm hands stroked his hair back from his forehead. Tim sighed softly as he felt the slightest tingling warmth in the wake of the touch. He let that warmth follow him into the sleep he so desperately needed now. He never even heard Ducky leave the room.


	4. Chapter 4

**CHAPTER FOUR**

Finally finished with SECNAV and the Director, Gibbs stormed down to the bullpen. His usual demand for information breaking off when he realized no one was in the team’s portion of the bullpen. He blinked, glared at all the empty desks, missing bags and shutdown computers before grabbing his jacket off his chair and storming off for the elevator. There was only one reason his entire team would be missing from the office. It was time to demand answers from the reason for the absence. “Duck!” Gibbs stalked into autopsy and jerked his head at Palmer in silent demand for the man to leave. “You have my whole team in the hospital!”

“And you will join them, Jethro.” Ducky’s chair swung in a crisp arc to face him. “Or you will be put on medical leave as of right now.”

Gibbs glared at his second oldest friend. He crossed the room to lean back against the first autopsy table. He frowned over the edge of his cup while sipping his coffee. They stared hard at each other until finally Gibbs gave in with a soft, resigned sigh. “Oh, fine.” He finished his coffee and tossed it into the nearby trash. “The boys and Ziver are in the worse shape. I was dropped nearby, hiked to a good sniper nest, and waited for the chance to shoot.”

“And watching those kids suffer didn’t bother you at all.”

Gibbs heard the disbelief far more than he saw it in that mildly sarcastic statement. “Duck…”

“Don’t try my patience, Jethro.” Ducky smiled as he rose and slipped off his lab coat. He crossed to the tree stand by the door. Gibbs watched as Ducky exchanged lab coat for jacket and hat. “Anthony and Ziva are your children and Timothy…” Ducky turned toward him and a wicked looking smirk appeared on his face. “Well, Timothy is whatever he is. They are probably the most important people in your life.”

Gibbs couldn’t help the soft laugh that escaped at the thought of his ‘kids.’ “Don’t forget my somewhat spoiled youngest daughter even if she is…” He trailed off and shook his head. He was one of the few in the building outside of human resources who knew the truth of Abby’s age. He wasn’t looking forward to what she’d do if he let it slip. “Tim… that’s… complicated.” He rubbed a hand over his face. “Fine, Duck, where to?”

“Over to Bethesda for a quick checkup and overnight observation.” Ducky led the way out of the building to the cars. “Now go straight there, no detours and don’t make me come looking for you.”

“Tony, Ziver…” Gibbs started and stopped. He opened his car door and laid an arm on the roof. “They’re okay? And Tim…” He looked out over the parking lot and so no close observers. He felt safe asking the question he needed reassurance on. “Duck, he was fine last night. Nothing’s happened to them, right?”

“They are not okay, but they will heal.” Ducky smiled as he passed him toward his own car. “Timothy is sporting a number of interesting bruises but he’s basically okay.”

“Don’t go there, Duck.”

“Jethro…” Gibbs watched as Ducky turned and walked back to him. They faced off over the door of the car. “I am not criticizing. If it makes you both happy, I am all for it.”

“He’s mine, Duck.” Gibbs smiled and ducked his head just a bit. “Well, for the moment.”

“You’re his too.” Ducky patted his arm. “And I have a feeling Timothy doesn’t let go easily. However, this is not the place for this conversation. We’ll talk more during your exam.”

“He still hasn’t fully let go of Abs and that’s been over for nearly six years. Never understood that.” Gibbs shrugged but nodded at the admonishment from Ducky. He was right. This wasn’t a subject to be discussed aboard the very busy Navy Yard. “But he’s young, Duck. He’s not going to want a fossil like me for long.”

“Abigail is a whole different thing. It has nothing to do with love.” Ducky pointed sharply at the driver’s seat. “Enough delays, Jethro. The sooner we get to Bethesda, the sooner I can settle you in for the night with Anthony and Timothy but only if you cooperate.”

Gibbs considered his friend; finally, he nodded and climbed into the car. He waited until Ducky’s own car pulled out before following him to Bethesda. He never liked to admit to weakness. Didn’t in the Corps, definitely hated to admit it now; yet Ducky was right. None of them were at one hundred percent. Definitely not ready even for desk duty and cold cases. One night of forced rest at the hospital wouldn’t kill him.

Eventually, Gibbs parked the NCIS Charger next to a very familiar Porsche. He very lightly patted the sports car as he passed it to join Ducky. They walked slowly toward the hospital entrance. He felt the older man’s stare. He tried everything to ignore it and finally growled his acknowledgment. “Fine, yes, I’m exhausted and haven’t come down from battle readiness yet. My team’s not safe.”

“You’re team is fine, Jethro. Nothing more than some rest and fluids are required. This is more a precaution than anything else.”

“And punishments for not letting you check us out.” Gibbs chuckled lightly as he headed into the exam room Ducky pointed out. “It’s been far too long since I played support for an operation. It hurt like hell not being able to be right with them. To sit and wait for the right moment, knowing if I screwed the timing up, they’d both be dead. I just can’t relax yet. I _need_ to know they’re okay.”

“They are both fine.” Ducky smiled at him as he began poking and prodding at him. “And lucky for you, they both gave me permission to explain their status to you while I worked on you. Anthony is being treated with oxygen therapy and bronchodilators to prevent any complications from breathing that blowing sand. Timothy is under observation more than anything else. He has a sprained ankle and cracked ribs. Both of them are being treated for dehydration overnight. Just as you will be soon enough.”

“And Ziver?” Gibbs started to get up but settled back down when Ducky pointed a stern finger at him. “I need to see that she’s okay too.”

“Ziva’s injuries are more serious. Saleem’s men put a world of hurt on her, Jethro. She has given Abigail permission to make decisions for her if she is unable to…” Ducky trailed off for a moment. Gibbs watched as the older man’s eyes clouded with what he was certain were painful memories before Ducky shook them away. “Abigail is staying with her and will let us know when she is truly ready to see Anthony, Timothy, you or I. Yes, Jethro, she is not even comfortable with me at the moment. Only Abigail is acceptable company. You must be patient.”

“Never been patient, you know that.”

“You will be this time unless you want Ziva in a madhouse.”

“That bad, Duck?”

“Maybe worse. Abigail will handle it and tell us what to do.” Ducky sat on the nearby stool. He slumped a bit, a weighty silence falling in the room. “One thing, Jethro. Eli David is persona non grata, now and forever.”

“That will be difficult to enforce.” Gibbs slipped off the bed and patted Ducky’s shoulder. “Leon is friends with him. Right now, Ziva has no legal standing with either the United States or NCIS.”

 “I will discuss this with the Director. Eli David knew where she was and left her there.”

“Yeah, Leon knows that. It’s going to be a delicate diplomatic dance until she makes some decisions. I wouldn’t be surprised if he tries to force her back to him somehow. The restriction on Director David will likely be better coming from you."

“Oh, it comes from much higher up. I am but the messenger.”

The implications of that statement surprised Gibbs though he refused to show it outwardly. He really shouldn’t be surprised about anything he learned about his oldest friend. He arched an eyebrow in question and pointed upwards. “Direct line, Duck?”

“Most direct.”

“I see.” Gibbs leaned back against the exam table he’d just slipped off of. He debated how to phrase something. “If it didn't violate tradition and Law, I’d be hunting curses.”

“No need.” A cold, almost cruel smile momentarily appeared on Ducky’s face. “Eli David has placed himself beyond all protection. Ziva was given to him to protect and he failed in his duty.”

“Ah.” Gibbs inclined his head. It may have been years but he knew exactly what that implied. “My…” He trailed off for a moment uncertain how to reference Shannon because of promises he made her so many years ago. “My connection is gone, Ducky but if you need help with anything…”

“I am told you will be needed later though I have not been told how.”

“I’m certain that Someone will see to it that I find out. Since I can’t see Ziva, the boys?”

“Boys?” Ducky frowned and rose. “I assume you mean Anthony and Timothy.”

“Nothing I can do but wait as much as I hate waiting for anything.” Gibbs nodded his agreement. “So can I see them at least?”

“You know, Jethro, it might be time to consider the ‘boys’ grown.” A soft laugh escaped the older man as he opened the door. “Come on, I’ll take you up to them and arrange for you to have a comfortable chair while you get your own intravenous fluids. You may stay with them as all that’s wrong with you is a mild case of dehydration.”

“Thanks, Duck.” Gibbs fell in step beside the other man. “And I know. All things considered, I know.”


	5. Chapter 5

**CHAPTER FIVE**

Tim lay still with his eyes closed. He’d slept through his MRI which concluded there was some minor bruising on his brain but no bleeds or swelling. He’d slept through being transferred to what was apparently his room overnight only waking when a bored Tony started muttering about there being nothing on but infomercials to watch before he’d finally succumbed to sleep. Now, he lay there carefully pretending to sleep as Ducky and Gibbs murmured quietly together, then Ducky left the room just as silently as he’d appeared in it. However, the threading of fingers through his hair teased at his ability to lay still and fake sleep.

“Ah, Tim.” Warm fingers stroked over his scalp then down his cheek. “Why didn’t you say you were hurting? Oh, I know, you didn’t even realize it. I saw how exhausted you were. You even fell asleep on me. Perfect trust, eh?” Gibbs breath brushed his temple. A barely felt kiss brushed over the bruise forming there. “I have the strangest suspicion I know why you were so exhausted, but I’m not going to ask.” A roughly calloused thumb brushed over the spot. Unable to resist, Tim leaned into the touch. “You need to get better, Tim. All three of you do, but you especially. I…”

“You love him, don’t you?” A heavy silence fell in the room. The air thickened with tension. Then Tony’s voice, much quieter and a lot more tentative, filled the silence. “Boss? Dammit. I feel like an older brother asking my baby brother’s suitor about his intentions.”

“How’d you figure it out, DiNozzo?”

Tim struggled to remain still and silent even as he waited expectantly for the answer to the question. He’d long ago learned that he’d find out more by pretending to be either asleep or invisible. Now, fake sleeping would do the trick as long as he could manage it.

“You sounded like a worried husband.”

“I’ll have to work on that.”

“Why?” Tim listened as bedclothes rustled and Tony grumbled a bit while shifting on his bed. “You’re not likely to repeat any of that in public.”

“Yeah. I thought you were safely asleep.” A sigh echoed through the room. “The rules. The Director. Going to be a problem?”

“Not unless you hurt him. Then all bets are off.”

“Since Shannon, that's about all I seem to do.” A snorted laugh, the bitter kind from hard experience, came then. “Deal. Though he's more likely to hurt me than I him.”

“Why’d you say that?” Tony’s voice was slightly slurred. Tim knew he was fighting the good but mild sedative Dr. Pitt had given him to insure he would rest.

“I’ve have three ex-wives and several ex-lovers.” A creak echoed as Gibbs shifted. His hand dropped away and Tim had to fight back a moan at the loss of the touch. “None of them stay long. Always leave cursing me.”

“Tim’s different.” The bed creaked again. A groan escaped Tony while another chuckle escaped Gibbs. “He loves you. Doesn’t want to change you like they did.”

“Tony… Look at him and Abs.” A slightly different creak echoed through the room. Tim cautiously cracked one eye and watched as Gibbs rose and crossed the short space to Tony’s bedside. “Lie still, Tony. Let me detangle you. Better?”

“Yeah. Thanks.” Now it was Tony’s turn to chuckle. “Him and Abs were all about having something when he couldn’t have what he wanted.”

“And responsibility.” Tim carefully entered the ongoing conversation. “Abby is… how did you put it, Tony... a paradox wrapped in an oxymoron smothered in contradictions in terms. I was attracted, yes, but when that cooled, it got complicated.”

“Complicated how?”

“You know how she is with me, Tony.” Tim carefully levered himself up to sit and crossed his legs under the blanket. He rested his elbows on his knees as he considered the other two men. “She alternates between flirting and friendship. I feel like I’m navigating a minefield with her sometimes while constantly wanting to push her to act her age not like she’s Sarah’s age. Hell, Tony, Sarah acts more mature than Abby sometimes.”

“So you worry about her like you do Sarah?”

Tony asked the question while Gibbs just leaned on the edge of Tony’s bed and watched. It was almost like being in interrogation as the suspect. “Yeah. And she doesn’t appreciate it in the least.” Tim ducked his head for a moment. “When you add how she... well, she tends to turn me into the scapegoat when she does something wrong. So, complicated. We have a sexual history but sometimes I feel like the older sane brother dealing with a wild child younger sibling.”

“See, Boss.” Tony reached out and patted Gibbs hip. “No worries.”

“Go to sleep, Tony.” Tim laughed and shook his head. He tilted his head and nudged just the tiniest of bits. “You’re flying from that sedative.”

“Stop that, Probie.” Tony smiled over at him before settling down in the bed again. Tim wasn’t the least bit surprised when Gibbs straightened the blankets and various tubings before returning to his chair. “Night, Probie.”

“Then go to sleep.” He watched, smiling, as Tony edged deeper into sleep until soft snores drifted from the other bed. He knew that Tony was only that deeply asleep because Gibbs was in the room. Experience taught them both that Gibbs wouldn’t really sleep while they were in the hospital. Their sixes were watched; they could rest because Gibbs was there. The only thing on Tim’s mind at the moment was the intense look from Gibbs. Pitching his voice low, he asked, “What is it, Jethro?”

“What Tony said…?” There was a wealth of pain and the weight of experience in Gibbs’s voice. He looked away from him and refused to look back up as he continued to speak. “I won’t hold you to it.”

“I could say the same thing.” Tim shifted just a bit on the bed. His bruises ached, sitting like this wasn’t comfortable, but this wasn’t a conversation to put off. “Answer me this, do you want me?”

“Didn’t I say so?” Gibbs looked up. Tim felt pinned in place by that intent look. “I told you you’re mine.”

“And I definitely laid claim to you.” Tim smirked at the memory. “Nothing else matters, Jethro. We’ll figure it out as we go. All we need to do now is decide how public this is. Ducky knows. So does Tony. I assume no one else will be told unless absolutely necessary.”

“No, not now.” Gibbs smiled. It was a different one, content and almost happy; Tim resolved to make it appear more often. “Later, who knows.”

“So that’s settled. Now we focus on healing your daughter...” Tim laughed at Gibbs surprised look. “You don’t think I know exactly how you think of both of the women on our team? Ziva’s your eldest daughter - the tomboy who took after Daddy and became a warrior - and now she’s hurt. So, protective daddy is going to come out until we’re certain she’s safe and healing. She’s not alone, is she?”

“Abby’s with her.” Gibbs snapped his fingers and pointed at the pillows. “Ducky says she’ll let us know when we can see her.”

“I had hoped.” Tim bowed his head and closed his eyes for a moment. It was a false hope born of desperation that nothing had changed; however, he knew better. His worst fears related to those four months confirmed for the second time in twenty-four hours. He looked up after a moment of silence before following Gibbs’s order to lay back down on the bed. “Strangely, I think this just might be the push Abby needs as long as she tempers her usual behavior.”

“It sounds like she’s doing all the right things.” There was a pause during which Gibbs tugged up his blanket and smoothed it down over his chest. “Ducky also told me Eli knew where she was and left her there.”

Tim clenched his jaw and his fists. He lay on that bed struggling with every bit of morality taught him. Struggled against his more vengeful urges which wanted him to break the laws he’d sworn to uphold on more than one level. Only when he was certain he was still in control did he speak again. “He broke faith with her, Jethro.”

“He did.” Gibbs resumed his seat. “Ducky says he has placed himself beyond all protection.”

“You’re certain that’s what Ducky said? Those exact words?”

“Yes.”

A very pleased smile curved his lips. He couldn’t stop it. “Good. I can…”

“No.” There was flatness to Gibbs tone. His hand pressed flat against Tim’s forehead before stroking down and away to rest against his cheek. “According to Ducky, it is out of our hands.”

“For now.” Tim looked over at him before staring up at the ceiling. “But if he comes after my... sister... I suppose is the best way to claim her, all bets are off. Especially if he steps into my...” He broke off abruptly. He couldn’t say it. He wanted to, every inch of him wanted to, but he couldn’t say it. Not yet. It wasn’t time yet. May never be time but he so wanted to speak the words. “We need to keep Eli David away from her.”

“Ducky will be speaking to Leon later today.” Now satisfaction warmed Gibbs’ voice. “He is persona non grata. Not that he’ll be allowed over for a while.”

“It won’t stop him. Not yet.” Tim chuckled then yawned. The rhythmic brush of Gibbs’s thumb over his cheek lulled him back toward sleep. “We need to be ready to defend her from Mossad.”

“We’ll worry about it later. Get some sleep, Tim.”

“Kay... you should rest too. I know you won’t sleep.” He softened his voice to an almost whisper. “And Tony was right. I do love you.”

“I know.” Gibbs suddenly loomed over him. What came next was unexpected considering where they were but so very necessary to them both. Tim knew it from the look in Gibbs eyes as he bent down. The kiss was soft, light and barely felt. It was chaste but so very emotionally intense. Tim murmured his pleasure, reaching up to pull Gibbs back when the other man started to pull away and claimed a deeper more possessive kiss which caused Gibbs to moan in response before he sat down again. “Now sleep, Tim.”

The hissed ‘yes!’ from the other bed made them both laugh as Gibbs turned to look over his shoulder. “You sleep too!”

“On it, Boss.” Tony’s sleepy voice murmured before silence fell, warm and content, to envelope the room.


	6. Chapter 6

**CHAPTER SIX**

After morning rounds – which woke all three of them up – Tim sat and listened as Tony and Gibbs talked about the mission. He knew it was part of their custom to privately debrief each other, a habit that had developed when it was just them before Kate joined their team. He was just glad they were letting him listen in. The door cracked open. Tony and Gibbs went instantly silent. All three of them watched as Abby peeked into the room and then came in to drop bakery boxes onto the table over Tim’s bed while setting a tray of coffee on Tony’s table.

“I brought breakfast.” Abby’s voice was unusually quiet and in complete contrast to her clothing which fully expressed her usually joie de vivre. She stared hard at Gibbs and then when he opened his arms flung herself at him with a soft sob. “Gibbs!”

“Hey Abs.”

Tim shared a look with Tony over Abby’s head. They both watched for a moment while Gibbs stroked her hair and rocked her much as he would a small child. Then, they shared another look and started passing food and coffee to each other. Finally, as they settled back into their respective beds to eat, Abby straightened away from Gibbs.

“I needed that.” She stared at the floor rather than look at any of them before taking a deep breath and consciously straightening up again. “So! How are you all?”

“Don’t do that, Abby.” Something dark and heavy colored Tony’s voice. “I remember when you did that the last time. We all know she’s hurting. You don’t have to hide how you are too.”

“I can’t lose it, Tony.” Abby shook her head hard. Her pigtails smacked her firmly in the face. Tim bit back a chuckle as she glared at her hair. “She needs me to be strong. When she cries, I’ll cry.”

“You don’t have to be so forcedly cheerful with us.” Tony pointed at her with his pastry. “Consider us your backup. I worked Vice, Abs. I _know_ how hard it is for the supporters to stay supportive. You need to vent your own anger and frustration somewhere.”

“I went down to the Chapel this morning while she slept. I’ve been screaming at God for an hour.”

“Did it help?” Tony patted the bed beside him and draped an arm over Abby’s shoulders when she settled there. He tugged gently until she was leaning against his side.

“A little.” Tim watched as Abby shifted a bit and Tony hugged her tightly. “A very little.”

“A start then.” Tony kissed the top of her head and shared a look with Tim. Tim nodded in response. Responsibility to tend to Abby would be shared between them. They’d give Abby the grounding she needed to help Ziva leaving Gibbs free to run interference with anyone outside their team. “You’re her supporter and advocate right now, Abs, but is there anything she’ll let you tell us?”

“No medical details. She wants those between herself and Ducky.” Abby sat up and reached for a pastry. Tim was silently relieved that Abby was eating with them. “It was bad, Tony. Really bad.”

“Okay.” Tony bowed his head and took a few deep breaths of his own. “I think I may need to go yell myself.”

“It’ll help a little, but it wasn’t His doing. It was her father. The bastard.”

“He’s persona non grata, Abs.” Gibbs smirked. It was his ‘I’ve won, you asshole’ smirk. “Ducky’s going to tell the Director sometime today.”

Tim watched Abby. He knew his former lover. The bonds created from and by sexual relations never truly faded especially when it came to people like him. Abby was thinking about tapping into her Voodoo roots, a tradition she had no real training in, to get revenge on Eli David. He well knew just how badly that could go wrong with her. He’d rescued her from the results of her dabbling once already. “Abby.”

“Yes, Tim?”

“No playing.” He firmed his voice and stared hard at her. When she squirmed and started to look away, he gently cleared his throat until she focused on him again. “He’s beyond all protection, but no playing. Agreed?”

She tensed. Her arms crossed over her chest as she glared across the room at him. Tim refused to be moved by it. There were times he could look the other way with regard to her dabbling; however, this wasn’t one of them. Finally, she nodded. “If you give me your word it will be taken care of.”

Tim considered her, then Tony and finally Gibbs, but he’d gone too far not to finish it now. Especially since he knew if he didn’t, she’d give in to impulse and dabble. That would cause a bigger mess for him to deal with later. “Yes, Abigail, you have my word. I’ll even swear to it if you wish.”

“Not for myself, but for her.” Abby dropped her arms and leaned forward a bit. “Your Patron’s word, Tim.”

Oh, she knew what that meant, the little minx. She’d backed him into the perfect corner. One of his own making but she’d done it. He also knew what that meant. That he’d wanted at least some of what he was to be known to his lover. He wouldn’t have done this in front of his friends if he hadn’t wanted at least a portion of things out. Tim bowed his head and closed his eyes for a moment before nodding and looking at her. He slipped off his bed and crossed the small space between them to hold his hands out to her. When she clasped them, he just barely smiled. “By the moon our mother, the earth our father and the blood of the clan, Eli David will be held accountable for all the oaths, promises and faith which he has broken.”

“In the name of my heart’s sister, I accept your promise and will hold you and yours to it.”

“So mote it be.” Tim nodded to her accepting her conditions and how she named Ziva.

“So mote it be.” Abby reached out and pulled him into a tight hug. She clung, her head tucked into his neck, for a very long moment. “Thanks, Tim. Now I feel much better.”

“And I don’t have to worry about you getting in over your head again.” Tim hugged her tightly and stroked her back. “Ziva’s safe and protected by many.” Then he looked over at Tony. “Tony, if you get anymore question marks around your head, it’ll disappear.”

“I better get back.” Abby released Tim and hopped down off Tony’s bed. “I’m calling the Rabbi assigned to the Yard to ask for help too.”

“Good idea.” Tim leaned back, looked up and then laughed softly. He’d known that eventually Ducky’s Lady would take advantage of his knowing about her. He’d just never expected it to happen so soon. He pressed a kiss to Abby’s temple. “Take our good wishes to Ziva, Abs. She needs you. She got bad news from her doctor.”

“I will.” Abby bounced over to give Tony a hug followed by one for Gibbs which was paired with her usual kiss to the cheek. She grabbed a cup off the table and started out the door. Tim turned to watch her leave at a walk that was just steps away from a run.

Tim turned back to the room and leaned back to rest his ass against the edge of his bed. “Shit.”

“What's wrong with Ziva, Tim?”

“I wasn’t told. Only that Ziva needed Abby.” Tim turned to look at Gibbs and shook his head. “And you’re awfully calm about this, Boss.”

“Been there before, Tim.” He watched as Gibbs lifted his coffee cup and took a long drink.

“Oh.” Tim hopped up onto his bed. “I keep it quiet.”

“I noticed.”

“What the hell?” Tim struggled not to laugh as he literally watched as Tony’s brain started working again. Tony bounced off his bed and paced around it before resting his hands on the bed and glaring across it. “What are you two talking about? What was that with Abs? What the fuck?”

“That was me keeping Abby from doing something really stupid.” Tim tentatively smiled at Tony. “And her demanding my oath to deal with Ziva’s father.”

“That’s not an explanation, Probie!”

Tim looked at Gibbs and got a ‘you’re on your own’ look back. He growled softly then focused on Tony. “Here’s where I hope I don't lose your friendship, Tony. I’m an initiated Pagan priest. Lots of oaths on me, so no details. I follow a Celtic tradition which takes oaths very, very seriously.” He drew in a breath and let it out slowly. “When I said I felt responsible for Abby, it’s also because of this. She grew up in New Orleans and knows just enough Voodoo to get herself into trouble by dabbling. I know her. I know her well enough to know that she was considering cursing Eli David. I made her promise not to. She made me promise that Director David would be dealt with.”

Silence reigned in the room for several long minutes, just long enough for Tim to think this would be the thing which broke up the team. Not his relationship with their mutual boss, but his Pagan beliefs. Finally, Tony turned an assessing look on him. “You’re gonna set the _Caccia Morta_ on him?"

The _Caccia Morta,_ the Dead Hunt, it had been many years since he’d heard His Lord’s hounds referred to by such a name. One brief semester sharing a room with an Italian physics major had taught him the phrase. He tilted his head to one side wondering just how much Tony wanted to know. He shrugged one shoulder. “You want me to say it?”

“Yeah.”

“Then yes, Tony.” Tim nodded and bit his lower lip before continuing on. “As soon as I’m able to settle in and do the Rites, I’ll be calling the _Cŵn Annwn_ to hunt and harry the oathbreaker known as Eli David until all accounts have been paid in full.”

“Good.”

“You calmed awfully fast, Tony.”

“My family’s Catholic but my Nonna still remembers all the old stories.” Tony came back around the bed to clasp Tim’s shoulder with one hand. He squeezed it hard. Tim reached up to cover Tony’s hand and return the squeeze. “She told me the tales when I was young and over summers later on. Get him, Tim.”

“I will.” Tim squeezed Tony’s hand again then turned his attention to Gibbs. “Boss?”

“Told you. Been here before.” Gibbs finished off his coffee and tossed the cup into the trash. “We’ll talk Tim but not here. If you want, you can use my yard.”


	7. Chapter 7

**CHAPTER SEVEN**

It had been a long day already; however, there was still hours to go before dusk. Tim downshifted his car and took the scenic route from his apartment to Gibbs’s home on the other side of the river. Paperwork and admonishments from Ducky ate up the morning before they’d been sent home with strict instructions to rest for the weekend. With Ducky at the hospital for the foreseeable future, Tony was coming back to Gibbs house until they hit the Yard on Monday. Tim frowned a bit as that meant he and Gibbs would have to be a bit more discreet than he’d prefer but he understood why they were sticking together until after the first weekend home.

The question of Tony nagged at him. He knew the older man – his brother in all but blood and maybe even that by now – would want to be involved in the summoning. He didn’t know how he felt about that. Tony was, for all intents and purposes, Catholic; yet, he apparently also knew some of the old Italian stories. With Abby, Tim knew where he stood. She hadn’t yet stepped up to the plate, avoiding the challenges put to her and dabbling in Voodoo. Was this Tony’s test? The moment where Tony was asked to either settle in as a follower or start down the path to join the Hunt? Tim really didn’t know what to do or say to keep from offending his friend which was why he was driving in circles rather than going to Gibbs’s home. The intersection loomed before him. He found his hands turning the wheel left rather than right and chuckled. “Point taken.”

Ten minutes later and he was parking the Porsche in Gibbs driveway behind Gibbs own Challenger and next to Tony’s Mustang. He sat for a moment in silence, the only sound the ticking of the cooling engine. Tim crossed his arms on the steering wheel and stared at the front of Gibbs’s house. He had no answers yet, only more questions. Lucky for him, he had two hours yet in which to make a decision.

“You’re late, Probie.” Tim turned his head to watch as Tony leaned in the passenger side door. He reached for the wooden case sitting on the passenger seat. Without thinking of any consequences, Tim reached out and smacked Tony’s hand away. “Ow! What was that for?”

“Not that one, Tony.” Tim grabbed the handle of the case himself and pulled it across the car as he climbed out. “But you can grab my bag from the floor.”

He started for the door where Gibbs leaned on the frame. Only six years’ experience allowed him to see just how amused his lover was by Tony’s bitching behind him. Tim debated kissing Gibbs but decided not to as he needed to concentrate. He frowned as Tony’s complaints went from playful to whining as he stepped past Gibbs into the house. “Dammit, Tony!”

“What? I’m just messing around.”

“Now is not the time to be messing around.” Tim took several deep breaths, consciously calming himself, and then turned to address Tony. “I’m sorry, Tony. I’m tense and on edge right now. This…” He took a moment to pat the side of the wooden case he’d carried inside before setting it down on the coffee table. “This contains my ritual tools. They’re psychically linked to me. Someone else touching them, especially someone untrained, would feel wrong. It…” He paused for a moment trying to think of a comparison that Tony would truly understand. “It would be like my taking your gun without permission or handling Gibbs’s sniper rifle. There’s a…”

“Bond between you that’s easily messed up.” Tony nodded and sprawled on the sofa. “I hate when someone messes with my guns. I always want to clean’em for hours until they feel right again.”

“Same thing.”

“Very much so.” Gibbs took the other end of the couch. “You both remember my comments about my rifle during the hunt for Ari. He got his hands on it here. I wanted to sterilize her afterwards.”

“Her, Boss?”

“Her.” Tim took a seat on the floor and watched as Gibbs helped him obliquely introduce to one of the most basic rules of magic. Gibbs pointed a finger at him when he explained. “Last night, Tim mentioned that I handled my rifle as if it was a woman or a lover. A sniper must intimately know his weapon. Spends a lot of time with it. Most of us end up thinking of them as close friends. I knew a few who actually nicknamed theirs.”

“I should apologize for…”

“I trust you, Tim.” Gibbs flashed a smile at him. “You and Tony, I trust you with her. Others not so much.”

“I so want to make a stupid movie reference here to lighten the mood but something tells me that would be the worst possible thing to do.” Tony leaned back and dropped his head against the back of the couch. Tim watched him and let him think things through. He knew he couldn’t rush his friend. This was a step Tony had to make on his own without being pushed by anyone. Finally, Tony leaned forward again, his hands clasped and dropping between his knees. “One last movie quote, Probie, and then I'll put away the act. _The Forty Year Old Virgin_ , Jordan Masterson to Steve Carell, ‘Dude. Teach me!’ So what do I need to know?”

Tim stared at his friend. He couldn’t believe the words which came from Tony. He just couldn’t. All he could do was stare at him. Did Tony really know what he was asking of him? He blinked – once, twice – and silently thanks the gods when Gibbs commented before Tim had to find an answer.

“About time, Tony.”

“I may be the wild card, Boss, but even I know when it’s time to put away childish things. I’ve played the role for far too long. Tim’s not really a Probie anymore even if he is my Probie.” Tony smiled across the coffee table at him. “He’s a damned good agent and my much smarter than me kid brother. So…”

“Honestly, Tony?”

“Always.”

“Okay.” Tim nodded. He clasped his hands on the case sitting on the table before him. He debated how to word what he wanted to say. On one hand, he’d love to teach his ‘brother’, as empathic and intuitive as Tony could sometimes be he’d be a wonderful asset to the Hunt. However, his wasn’t the only permission necessary. “There are some things I cannot teach you yet, Tony, not without permission. I am an Initiate, the equivalent of an ordained priest in the Catholic Church. I give my allegiance to the Lord of the Hunt who goes by many names. The best known is Herne.”

Tony opened his mouth but was interrupted by the crash of ceramic to the floor. Startled, Tim turned to look at his silently watching lover who was now staring at him. Something he’d said made Gibbs drop his coffee cup. “Boss?”

“You broke rule twenty-three, Probie.” Tony laughed as he rose to his feet. “Think you two need to talk for a minute. I’ll get your some more, Boss. You want any, Probie?”

“No, not before a ritual, but a glass of water would be nice.” Tim smiled up at Tony. “Thanks, Tony.” He waited for Tony to leave the room before focusing on Gibbs again. “Jethro?” When Gibbs continued to stare at him, he gently cleared his throat. “Jethro, what is it?”

“The Priests of Herne lead the Wild Hunt.”

It was a statement of fact not a question. Tim wondered just who taught Gibbs and what exactly he was taught. The man carried none of the traditional signs of an initiate yet knew something few knew outside of particular lineages and even those were sworn to silence by their Huntmaster. Tim inclined his head and barely smiled his acknowledgment. “I… yes, Jethro, though I wasn’t going to mention that this soon.”

“Why not?”

“Promises, Tradition, Oaths. Pick one.” Tim sighed and ran a hand though his hair. “Perhaps a bit of fear too. Abby doesn’t know about that role but she knows who my Patron is under a different name. It wasn’t until I dealt with something she’d called up with her dabbling that she really accepted my claim to be a priest.”

“Abby thinks of you as her own personal plush toy. Or did until today.” Gibbs bent down and started cleaning up the broken cup. Luckily it had been empty when it hit the floor. “As far as I’m concerned, nothing you could tell me could change my mind about you.”

“I’m still hoping Abby will grow up one day. She…” Tim trailed off and shook his head. “I guess I could have followed my first thought and changed before I came over here. I will need to before Working.”

“Shower’s off the bedroom. You know where that is.” Gibbs smiled at him. It was a smile of shared memories. It warmed Tim’s soul to see it. So far, nothing had broken that tentative bonding between them formed out of the previous night’s sex. “Tim, ask your Patron about Shannon.”

“Shannon. Your Shannon.” Tim closed his eyes for a moment. “She taught you enough to know without being initiated. That…” He trailed off and bowed his head while thinking hard. “Did you…” He looked over his shoulder toward the kitchen before giving Gibbs a significant look.

“Yes. I did.” Gibbs eyes went unfocused as he apparently remembered the past. “Several times, mostly at Beltane.”

“That would be the traditional festival.” Tim smiled. That knowledge helped a lot. It would also help in the future assuming he and Gibbs did become a long term couple. “I guess we should call Tony back now. Are you willing to keep him settled and in check while I work tonight?”

“I’ll handle him. But I think your Patron will be interested in him.”

“Oh, I know He’s interested. Tony popped onto His radar years ago. The question now is which path Tony takes.”

“And that’s what you need to ask about.”

“If I have a say,” Tony’s voice came from behind Tim. He turned and considered Tony where he leaned against the archway separating the dining room from the living room. “All the way, all of it. I can’t watch your back from the sidelines, Tim.”

“You’re Catholic, Tony.”

“So was my Nonna.” Tony crossed the room and set the cups he was carrying down on the coffee table. “At her insistence, we attended Mass every Sunday, went to every High Holy Day, celebrated Lent and Advent…” He trailed off into silence. “However, she also, until she was too frail to leave her room and had to go into care, insisted on getting up before dawn on the first of May and breakfasting in the garden. And she’d never sleep on Halloween, always sat up all night in the dining room with the fine china on the table. I asked why once and she told ‘when you are older and can decide, then I will tell you’. So, Probie, you tell me why I can’t meld both traditions.”

“It would be very hard, Tony.” Tim tilted his head back to stare up at his friend. “My patron is easy going but your God is a jealous God.”

“Well, He’s not answered my requests for years.”

“I don’t think that’s how it works, Tony. But we can figure it out as we go.”

“All I ask is the chance.” Tony sprawled on the sofa again. “I suppose there are rules for this before even starting anything.”

“Definitely.” Tim levered himself up to his feet. He patted the case which started the whole conversation with one hand. “Don’t touch. I need to get cleaned up and start preparing for tonight.” Tim thought for a moment before casting a questioning look at Gibbs. “Did… was there a spot used most often out there?”

“Nope.” Gibbs shook his head. “The old oak was for sitting and talking under. Did a lot of that. But no one place in particular. Find the spot which appeals to you.”

“All right.” Tim nodded. He leaned over the table and kissed Gibbs. “Remember that for later. I’ll be back in a while.”

“We’ll be here.”


	8. Chapter 8

**CHAPTER EIGHT**

Gibbs sat on the steps to his rear deck and watched Tim move around his back yard. Gone were the Probie and the unsure young man who’d danced around things in his living room. In their place was an assertive man confident in himself and his place in the world. Gibbs didn’t know if it was what he was planning on doing or the clothing or just knowing that they knew about him. He did know that this Tim turned him on something fierce. He hated the fact that Tony was spending the weekend with them even if he understood why Ducky had insisted on it. Gibbs leaned back to rest his elbows on the deck itself and stretched out his legs while he watched Tim roam the back yard.

“What’s he doing, Boss?” Tony dropped down beside him and offered him a beer bottle. “We can have these, can’t we?”

“Yep.” Gibbs accepted the bottle and tapped the neck against Tony’s like he always did. “And he’s finding the place that feels best to him for Working.”

“And the clothes?” Tony sprawled out. Gibbs chuckled softly. If Tim was the leader, Tony was the deceptively lazy cat ready to pounce his prey at a moment’s notice. He shook his head to toss away the image, yet it persisted. Gibbs filed it away for later consideration as Tony tilted his beer bottle toward Tim. “Never seen Tim dressed solely in black before. It looks good on him, but it’s also…”

“Sexy.”

“I was going to say unnerving, Boss. He’s my kid brother, remember.”

“Sorry.”

Tony waved a handkerchief in front of him. “I think you need this.”

Without thought, Gibbs reached over and lightly slapped the back of Tony’s head. The soft squeak from the other man brought a smile to his face. “I know what you mean, Tony. I think we’re finally seeing the real Timothy McGee.”

“He grew up without my noticing it.” Tony tipped his head back to finish off his beer. The bottle was set aside with a faint click of glass against the wooden decking. “Either that or he’s better at hiding than I thought.”

“A bit of both actually.” Gibbs sat up as Tim turned toward them from where he stood nearly in the center of his backyard. With night overtaking twilight and the rise of the waxing crescent moon, Tim seemed even more powerful and confident then he had the previous night or in the living room just hours ago. “You don’t become what he is without being both able to hide and very well trained. He’s young, but powerful.”

“And no longer hiding it?”

“He doesn’t have to with us. Not anymore.” Gibbs stared at his lover. There was no denying any longer that the man before him was not that nervous green agent from Norfolk. This was a man certain of his place in the world. It was there in his posture and attire. Unrelieved black – from the silk shirt that shimmered in the fading light to the black jeans and boots – only hints of silver breaking up the image. “As I said, the real Timothy McGee.”

The man in question suddenly smiled and crossed the yard to join them by the deck. He rested one foot on the steps between Gibbs and Tony. It was only then that Gibbs noted the long sheathed dagger by his side. “All right there, Tony?”

“I’m good.” There was laughter in Tony’s voice. Gibbs couldn’t help but smile in response to it. “Boss… well, he’s been… ow!”

Gibbs smirked as Tony rubbed the back of his head but it was the smile from Tim which allowed him to relax again. “We’re good. You ready then?”

“Almost.” Tim draped his wrists over his knee as he considered them. Gibbs wasn’t certain but he thought he caught the faintest hint of scars on Tim’s now bare wrists. “Would you mind moving up one step?”

“I’d ask why but…” Tony trailed off and moved back to sit on the deck itself. “Better?”

Gibbs reached down for Tony’s discarded beer bottle and settled in next to his senior agent. He set the bottles down before raising an eyebrow in question. He watched as Tim seemed to gather himself before raising a hand and sketching a symbol in the air before them. Something felt more than seen seemed to snap into place around the deck but especially in the gap formed by the steps.

“Much.” Tim nodded to them. “Stay here or go inside but don’t interrupt. Gibbs can probably answer some general questions.”

“Got it.” Tony reached over and clasped Tim’s arm. It was a clasp Gibbs had seen most often between long term war buddies when meeting or parting. He’d never expected to see it between his boys. “Get’em, Pro… Tim.”

Tim nodded once then turned back. Gibbs got comfortable to watch. From the corner of his eye, he saw Tony sprawl on the deck again. Only this time he gave the impression of a restive cat wanting to run after his prey. Gibbs chuckled to himself as he focused on Tim.

The young man stood for a moment in his chosen spot before drawing the dagger from his side. Gibbs couldn’t hear the words he spoke – Tim’s voice was too quiet to carry over to them despite the small distance between them – but the pattern of movement was familiar. The circle solemnly cast before Tim again stood still in the center, his arms by his side with the dagger held loosely in one hand.

There was a momentary pause and then Tim moved again. He raised his hands and they could just barely hear his voice rising and falling in a rhythmic chant which died away into an expectant silence. That silence stretched and thickened until Gibbs worried that Tim had offended the god. And then from nowhere and everywhere came the sound of barking hounds and hoof beats. He heard Tony suck in a breath, felt his senior agent grab his shoulder but he couldn’t look away as two stark white hounds appeared in his yard. Their red tipped ears swiveled this way and that before both whirled to stare at Tony. Gibbs was certain his shoulder wouldn’t survive Tony’s grip on it.

A horn sounded. The hounds turned again. Several more appeared, though the largest of them all, clearly the leader, continued to watch Tony. A single set of hoof beats grew louder and louder until a dark horse seemingly created of mist and shadow appeared near the old oak. His rider, a warrior born, armored and armed, dismounted to pace toward where Tim stood patiently waiting. Unable to resist the call he’d felt several times before, Gibbs rose to his feet and nodded his head to the man. A nod returned with the faintest hint of a smile before the rider’s attention turned to Tim.

“My Lord…” Tim’s voice, calm and controlled, now carried toward easily to them. “I didn’t expect you personally.”

“You call upon me so rarely. Why would I not come?”

A soft chuckle came from Tim as he nodded to his Lord. “I prefer to stand on my own using my own skills but this…”

A tiny hissing sound came from behind Gibbs. He spared a moment to glance over his shoulder at Tony who was all but plastered against his back. He’d never seen his second in command so pale. Gibbs made a note to ask about that later. “What, Tony?”

“Who is that…?”

“Gwyn ap Nudd.” Gibbs breathed his answer trying not draw attention to them. “He’s the Lord of the Underworld and Master of the Wild Hunt.”

Gibbs felt Tony’s nod against his back. He watched as Tim spoke to his Lord before inclining his head as Gwyn threw his own back with a joyful laugh.

“What would you ask of me, Timothy?”

“My ward and my blood brother have asked that I call the Hunt upon an Oathbreaker who wronged the sister of our hearts. She is also the fosterling of my beloved.” There was a hint of lightness in Tim’s calm tones before he turned solemn again. “For the breaking of the bonds between parent and child, and between siblings, and the abandonment of sacred trusts, I would ask that the Hunt stalk and harry Eli David, currently the Deputy Director of Mossad, and those who answer solely to him until all his broken oaths have been paid in full.”

“You know there are places My Hunt may not go, Timothy.”

“Neither he nor his will remain away from Ziva for long. They’ll come for her to try to take her from us. When they step out of those lands, they are fair game. I know all the Gods agree to that.” Tim bowed his head for a moment. “Will you assist, My Lord?”

Another long silence settled over them. The hounds shifted and circled around the yard. In the distance, restive horses shook their bridles. Gibbs reached up and clasped Tony’s hand. He wondered at his second’s shaking. “Tony? You okay?”

“I know him.” Tony’s voice shook slightly as he spoke in a bare whisper. “And that beautiful bay mare – the one who is standing riderless by the back fence – she’s waiting for me, Gibbs. He asked…”

“Oh, Tony…” Gibbs tightened his hold on Tony’s hand. “I understand.”

“Timothy…” Gwyn’s voice echoed around them. There was a weight to it. “Aye, Timothy, though it may take time for the price to be paid in full.”

“I understand.” Tim’s smile was there in his voice. He chuckled lightly. “There is another matter. My blood brother…”

“Anthony. I know of him and what you wish to ask.” Gwyn’s hand came out to rest on Tim’s shoulder. He nodded and then looked over his shoulder to where Gibbs watched them. Gibbs felt Tony straighten up as Gwyn’s gaze shifted from him to his second. “Teach him, Timothy. Imraith will wait patiently for her rider.”

“As You will, My Lord.” Tim raised a hand. Gibbs couldn’t quite see what he was doing but he had his suspicions as Tim bowed to Gwyn. “And my thanks.”

Gwyn brushed his hand over Tim’s hair. He then turned and remounted his horse. The horns sounded again. Gwyn’s horse reared slightly before whirling and galloping away. The hounds followed – groups and pairs – until only the leader remained. It barked once then it too ran off to fade into mist and shadow until Tim stood alone in the backyard with only the moonlight and the nearby street lights to outline him in the dark.


	9. Chapter 9

**CHAPTER NINE**

Tim stood for a moment. While the yard seemed deserted, he could still sense the presence of the Hunt around him. Even so, he knew it was safe to end the ritual and ground the energies. The things he’d heard about Tony and the brief conversation about Jethro had his nerves on edge. It was an unusual combination for him at the end of a rite. Still, he took down the circle, sheathed the blade by his side, and started toward the deck. He could feel Eirlys, his favorite of the hounds, brushing against his legs as he walked through the yard. He knew she’d take up her old habit again, staying around wherever he lived now that he’d started telling his team about himself. Reaching the deck, he propped one foot on it while leaning forward in order to scratch the hound’s ears. “Everything okay?”

“I’m not sure how you or Gwyn are going to handle the curious cat over there.” Gibbs pointed a thumb over his shoulder at Tony. “Only thing keeping him here is that ward you put up.”

Tim considered his friend and eventual student. He shook his head at the way Tony was almost quivering as he leaned on the railing around the deck. He pulled out his dagger again and used it to ground out the warding. As soon as he did so, Tony vaulted off the deck. Tim twisted to watch only to laugh as Tony seemed to fall backwards into the railing again.

“I can’t…” Tony’s voice trailed off as his hands came up to brush against seemingly empty air. He staggered another step and shook his head again before craning his head upwards to look at Tim. It took Tim a moment, and a bit of concentration, to figure out why. “She has a name, doesn’t she?”

“Imraith.” Tim laughed and shook his head. “You need to accept her, Tony.”

“But won’t that mean…”

“Not tonight, Anthony.” Gwyn’s voice echoed hollowly on the slight breeze developing as the night deepened. Harness jingled both close by and further back in the yard, and they all turned toward the old oak tree. Once again the Lord of the Underworld waited there astride his horse. “Tonight we ride solely for the joy of the ride. I will bring you safely here before dawn.” A laugh escaped Gwyn as he nodded to the space between Tony and Tim. “She’s waited a very long time to choose her rider, Anthony. Imraith is becoming impatient.”

“I…” Tony looked between Gwyn and Tim before staggering again. Then his attention shifted to Gibbs. “Boss?”

“Go, Tony.” Gibbs clapped a hand against Tony’s back. “If the Lord Gwyn says he will bring you back safe, he will. Besides, it might help you make your choice.”

“Got it, Boss.” Tony’s hand reached up and scratched a spot before he laughed softly. “Alright, pretty lady; just give me a minute to remember how this works. It’s been a while.” Tim laughed as Tony staggered again before scrambling up onto what appeared to be thin air. It was only as he settled into place on Imraith’s back that they could see her. She was a beautiful bay mare with a black mane and tail, with at least some Arabian blood in her. She tossed her head, setting her bridle harness jingling, before whirling about and trotting to Gwyn’s side. “So, Sir….”

Tim watched struggling not to laugh out loud as they faded out of sight but not sound as Tony began that nervous ramble he sometimes did when he was without information. As the sounds of the Hunt faded away, Tim looked at Gibbs and they both broke up laughing. “Only Tony would get a horse as conceited as he is!”

“She’ll be perfect for him.” Gibbs shook his head. “I don’t know about you, but I really don’t want to talk about Tony when your Lord just gave us several hours of privacy.”

“You have a point.” Tim reached up and pulled Gibbs down into a possessive kiss. He threaded his fingers though Gibbs short hair and deepened the kiss. He wanted Gibbs, almost as much as he had two nights before, and ached with the need to claim him again. “I want you.”

“I can tell.” Gibbs took a kiss of his own. “Bedroom. Not young enough to have sex on the deck anymore.”

Tim chuckled and nodded. He let Gibbs lead him inside but shook off his lover’s hand long enough to grab his tool case from the dining table. “Not that I don’t trust Tony but he’s…”

“A cat.” Gibbs flipped off the lights and headed for the bedroom. “Into everything and no matter how much you scold, he does what he wants anyway.”

“Exactly.” Tim set the case down, pulled off his dagger and laid it on top. He turned and grabbed Gibbs by the shirt and pulled him close. “I want you to fuck me, Jethro. Hard, fast and dirty. I…”

“I know what you need, Tim.” Gibbs’s hands stroked up Tim’s sides to start flicking open his shirt buttons. “Been here before, remember?”

“Right.” Tim freed his shirt cuffs but let Gibbs lead this dance. He knew himself well. Knew if he topped Gibbs tonight, he could easily hurt him. That was the last thing he wanted to do; however, he also desperately needed the grounding that only his lover could give him. Tim groaned deep in his throat as Gibbs’s hands stroked over his chest as he eased the shirt off him. “I…”

“Hush.” Gibbs kissed him again. His shirt was tossed onto the dresser with Gibbs’s own shirt following seconds later. “We’ll talk later.”

Tim closed his eyes and reveled in Gibbs’s touch – warm calloused hands stroking his skin, soft kisses interspersed with teasing bites – and let that touch ground him in reality again. The one thing he’d missed over the last years was the centering touch of a trusted lover. A soft laugh had him opening his eyes to see Gibbs looming over him as they lay in the center of Gibbs bed.

“You really do lose touch when you Work.”

“Sometimes.” Tim nodded. He’d not even realized they’d gone from vertical to horizontal or that they were completely naked until that laugh. He wrapped a leg around Gibbs’s hips and his arms around his neck. “Takes me a bit to come back from the power… especially when I work directly with death energy… has since I was sixteen.”

“The car accident…”

“Yeah.” Tim hummed throatily as Gibbs nuzzled his neck. A moan escaped when Gibbs latched onto the spot beneath his ear. “It should have killed me. I know that now. Even without seeing any of the reports from it, I do know that. It was the first time I met Gwyn.”

“Saved you?” Gibbs teeth scraped over his pulse. Tim knew he’d have another bruise but at least that one was low enough to easily conceal beneath a shirt collar. “He made you an offer then, didn’t he?”

“Something like that.” Tim arched his back, wanting more, and wondered why Gibbs was asking so many questions. “I could almost hear an argument between him and a woman about me. I wanted to stay in the hall. Hell, I was a lonely teenage boy and one of the hounds just had pups. I was fascinated by the little plain white one which had been rejected by her mother. I begged him to help the puppy – told him I’d do anything if he’d save her – and…”

“You did what? Tim!”

“I didn’t exactly realize who I was talking to. I thought I was dreaming.” Tim protested before groaning again. Gibbs hand wrapped around his cock, stroking him just hard enough to tease, and Tim thrust into the touch. “Gwyn… he…” Tim panted for breath in order to speak coherently. “He told me he wouldn’t hold me to the promise and he’d save the pup but I did have to do something for him.”

“And…?” Gibbs claimed another hard kiss. “Talk to me, Tim.”

“You want me to talk when you’re doing that?” Tim panted out the question while thrusting up into Gibbs’s hand. He whined when Gibbs pulled away to kneel between his legs. “Jethro! Don’t stop.”

“Didn’t say I was stopping.” He reached over and grabbed the lube bottle they’d discarded on the bedside table that morning. “Talk to me.”

“He told me… Oh, fuck yes!” Tim moaned as Gibbs thrust a finger inside him. He arched his back and thrust back against it. “More…”

“Speak.”

“Woof!”

“Smart ass.” Gibbs laughed softly. “Come’n, Tim…”

“But you like my ass.” Tim joined in the laughter for a moment before sobering. A hissed breath escaped him as Gibbs continued to finger him. “He said the pup was my responsibility. I had to care for her. And that I needed to stop allowing… how did he put it… ‘those without vision’ force me onto a path that was wrong for me. To choose for myself.”

“Okay?”

“I’m fine…Don’t you dare stop. I want you in me.” Tim growled the words. He pulled Gibbs in for another kiss. They broke apart on a moan as Gibbs pulled his fingers out and replaced them with his cock. “Gods, yes. Need you… Jethro, please…”

“We’ll get back to the talk…” Gibbs panted for breath himself. “Later. Damn, Tim… you feel so good wrapped around me.”

“Do it, Jethro.” Tim arched and thrust up against Gibbs. “I won’t break. Might be…”

“Be what?”

“A bit sore but hell thirteen years is…” Tim’s words broke on an almost scream as Gibbs began to move. He found the perfect angle almost from the first thrust. Tim lost himself in the haze of pleasure, grounding himself in passion and Gibbs. He needed this, needed this man and reveled in the moment. “Gods, more, Jethro.”

A hand wrapped around his cock and stroked him roughly. Tim threw his head back and clung tighter to Gibbs. He knew he was leaving marks with his nails but didn’t care. All he wanted was this – Gibbs on him, in him, around him – and gave himself up totally to the pleasure of being claimed by his lover. One last hard thrust, a twist of his hand on his cock, and Tim fell right over that edge into his orgasm. He collapsed onto the bed and opened his eyes just in time to see Gibbs throw his head back with a deep groan of his own before dropping to rest most of his weight against him. Tim arched his neck upwards to press a kiss to Gibbs’s temple. “Love you, Jethro. Needed that.”

“I could tell.” Gibbs chuckled and rolled off him. “You stay put. Do not go to sleep.”

Tim shook his head a bit but lay still. He ached even more now than yesterday but it was that bone deep, delicious ache that came from really good sex. The bed shifted to his left even as he heard water running in the attached bath. Tim lifted his hand and felt the nudge of a head beneath his fingers. He scratched behind the ears and hummed softly. “Don’t know how he’ll feel about you, Eirlys.”

“Eirlys?” A warm wet cloth stroked over his stomach. Tim smiled up at Gibbs. “That the hound who crept onto the bed?”

“I called her Snow. Eirlys is snowdrop in Welsh.” Tim continued petting even as he wrapped his other arm around Gibbs neck and pulled him down for a softer, gentler kiss. “I can tell her…”

“No, she’s fine. At least she won’t shed everywhere.” Gibbs laughed and threw the cloth in the direction of the bath before laying down beside him. The covers were grabbed and tossed over them. To Tim’s complete surprise, Gibbs reached over him and offered his fingers to the hound. “So, He wanted you to do what you wanted... and the offer came later?”

“Yup.” Tim shifted about on the bed until he could rest his head on Gibbs’s shoulder and wrap an arm around his waist. He liked to snuggle after sex. He felt Eirlys press against his back as she too settled down for the night. “I was twenty-five and newly assigned to Norfolk.” Tim paused to yawn. “I was celebrating Samhain with some friends who have their own coven. His personal presence startled everyone – even more so when he insisted on speaking to me directly – and…”

“You accepted it.”

“Yeah.” Tim lifted his head to look up at Gibbs. A second yawn escaped him. It was a struggle to keep his eyes open. “It’s very complicated, what he asked of me. I can’t share it all with you yet but he asked. I accepted and the rest… well, much – but not all – of the rest you know. I learned two jobs at nearly the same time.”

“Sleep Tim.” Gibbs kissed his forehead and then his lips. “I can wait until you can share.”


	10. Chapter 10

**CHAPTER TEN**

Once again the scent of coffee woke Gibbs. He lay still for a moment, trying to think as to why the smell felt wrong, and then remembered he’d not set the pot up for the morning. He eased his way off the bed and grabbed his discarded jeans from the floor. Pulling them on, he watched as Tim shifted to sprawl across the bed – all long limbs and pale skin – before burying his face in Gibbs pillow. Gibbs shook his head and headed out of the bedroom.

“Morning Boss!” Tony’s overly cheerful voice echoed from the living room. “Did you know that there are no women in the Hunt? Not very equal opportunity, are they? But they have some lovely women back in their hall. And the horses… wow….”

“Tony…”

“Yeah, Boss?” Tony all but bounced up next to him. “Imraith… somehow we just meshed. She’s like the perfect…”

“Tony...” Gibbs grabbed a mug from the cabinet over the sink. “No coffee.”

“Right, Boss. Shutting up until you have coffee!”

“Good boy.” Gibbs patted Tony’s head. He then stood over the pot watching until there was enough for a mug. He pulled the carafe, filled his cup and shoved it back without losing too much to the hot plate. If he had to deal with a wired Tony first thing in the morning, then he needed coffee, a lot of coffee. Mug in hand, he drank as he headed for the living room. There he sprawled on the sofa. “How can you be so awake?”

“Dunno, Boss.” Tony paced his living room. He touched everything as he moved around. Gibbs resisted the urge to demand the younger man settle down somewhere. “Just am. It was so cool. I mean… yeah, he’s Death but he’s a cool death not the horror movie scythe and cowled robe kind.”

“Uh huh.” Thankfully Tony flung himself down into the armchair before Gibbs had to give in and head slap him to get him to focus. Now all Gibbs needed to do was let Tony talk himself out while keeping an ear open for anything Tim might need to know as he slept off the previous night.

“We rode for a while. It was like a world tour. And there were these places… they seemed to glow in the night. We’d didn’t go over those lines. Gwyn said those were off limits to the Hunt. I don’t get that. I mean…” Tony’s forehead wrinkled the way it did when he was thinking hard before speaking his mind. “He’s Death. He should be able to go anywhere but he couldn’t go to these places. Wouldn’t say why either. Then he showed me the Hall. It’s this huge bustling castle. Well, not really a castle-castle but one of those ancient fortified towns where the king’s house is just a bit bigger. It was spring… all warm but not hot… and…”

“Tony.”

“Yeah, Boss?”

Gibbs held up his now empty mug. Just listening to Tony was exhausting him again. Tony bounced up, grabbed the mug and soon returned with two. Gibbs took his and breathed a relived sigh as Tony sat down and sipped at his own. “So, not as bad as you thought?”

“It was…”

“Paradise.” Tim’s voice came from the door. Gibbs twisted in his seat to look and smiled at the sight of Tim, once again in black though this time it was a t-shirt over jeans, leaning against the door frame. “He showed you Annwn. It’s where…”

“The Hunt rests until needed and those invited to join come after death.” Tony nodded and smiled at him. “I got smacked though.”

“Did you now?” Tim crossed the room and wrapped a hand over Gibbs. Surprised, Gibbs just let him pull his mug over to take a long drink from it. “Why was that, Tony?”

“Yeah.” Tony rubbed the back of his head. “Hits harder than Gibbs too. Apparently, when we got there I was supposed to tend to Imraith but I had no clue. I got lessons though.”

“She is yours…” Tim trailed off for a moment. “Assuming you accepted the invitation.”

“I…” Tony looked into his mug. After a few minutes, Gibbs thought the younger man had finally crashed but then Tony looked up at them. “Yeah, Tim, I did. She’s mine. She’s absolutely perfect for me. But she wasn’t the only reason I accepted. There was…”

Gibbs watched as Tony and Tim stared at each other. Something passed between them, something heavy and dark, which Gibbs wasn’t a part of. It was unnerving to see the two of them connect like that. Then, Tim nodded once.

“I’m sorry, Tony.”

“I’ll be okay, Probie.” Tony looked at the floor then tossed off his coffee. “He said… he said that…”

“She… I assume it’s a she… will be waiting for you.” Tim rolled off the couch then crossed over to crouch in front of Tony. He took the mug from him and set it on the table. Gibbs wondered at what was going on. What were his boys dancing around now? “It is paradise. And He takes care of his chosen warriors.”

“It’s a she.” Tony looked up. For the first time since they’d learned about Jeanne and seen glimpse of Tony in love, Gibbs saw a real smile on Tony’s face. Not the over the top grin he usually used but a real smile. “She said she was a priestess on the Isle. That I could see her sometimes but very rarely. She asked that I not name her.”

“I understand.” Tim patted his shoulder. “You should go to bed. You’re starting to crash, Tony.”

“Yup.” Tony stood and swayed a bit. Gibbs rose to his own feet as Tim caught Tony around the waist. “It was… Tim, how do you…”

“Training.” Tim chuckled and absently kissed Tony’s temple. “Which I get to start giving you. Let’s get you to bed.”

“I’ll take him.” Gibbs grabbed Tony and all but threw him over his shoulder. “I need to get a shower anyway. You can…”

“I’ll scrounge for breakfast and check in with Abby and Ducky.”

“Hey!” Tony’s voice broke on a heavy yawn. Gibbs just shook his head and carried Tony to the guest room and laid him out on the bed. He pulled the covers up and copied Tim’s move of kissing Tony’s temple. “Hmm… she grew up pretty, Boss.”

“Sleep Tony.” Gibbs didn’t even want to address the mumbled words. He didn’t want to think of the implications of them. He brushed his fingers over Tony’s hair and shook his head. “Sleep yourself out, DiNozzo.” A mumble which might have been ‘on it, Boss’ came from the bed. Gibbs exited the room and pulled the door almost closed behind him. He headed across the hall to his own bedroom and closed the door in order to lean back against it. “Aw, hell, Shan. Tony?”

He shook his head. Tony couldn’t possibly mean Kelly. Gibbs always saw his girls as they were when last he’d seen them in person. Kelly was still an eight year old girl, not a young woman old enough for DiNozzo to date. Frowning, Gibbs headed off to take a quick shower and dress. He threw on the first clothes he could grab – comfortable jeans and a worn t-shirt – and headed back downstairs. He saw Tim bustling about his kitchen and stepped in to wrap his arms around his lover’s waist. “I think I need you to break one of the rules and lie to me.”

“Why do you want me to do that?” Tim leaned back against him with a pleased hum. He turned slowly in his arms and reached up to pull him down into a kiss. “I don’t lie to anyone unless there’s no other choice.”

“Before he crashed asleep, Tony said ‘she grew up pretty’. Tell me DiNozzo’s not falling in love with my daughter, Tim.” He tightened his hold and stepped a bit closer to Tim. “She’s eight.”

“No, she’s twenty-six.” Tim’s arms came around him and held him tight. “Of course, that’s assuming my thoughts on her are correct. In Annwn and Avalon, time doesn’t completely stand still. It’s just not the same time as it is for us.” Tim nuzzled against him; Gibbs sighed at the caress. “She’s still your daughter, Jethro. She always will be. You see her as you’re most comfortable and accepting of her.”

“Gonna be hard.”

“I know, love.” Tim swayed slightly. “I know, but there are worse men she could have chosen. And he was right. Unless something drastically changes, they can only physically see each other once a year.”

“Samhain.”

“When the veil is thin.” Tim pulled back a bit to smile at him. “And you know Tony, if he thinks this will hurt you…”

“Yeah, I know.” Gibbs nodded to him. “I need time, Tim. This is all a bit much right now. I need to concentrate on Ziva. Not…”

“I’ll talk to him.”

“Thank you.” Gibbs tugged Tim back to him and rested his head on Tim’s shoulder. He needed this right now. Just needed to be held, no matter what his reputation said, there were times when even he needed to be held and comforted too.


	11. Chapter 11

**CHAPTER ELEVEN**

The rest of the weekend went fairly smoothly. They didn’t really talk much about what happened, just allowed themselves to decompress fully from the events in Somalia until late on Sunday night when Tony announced he was heading back to his place for the night. Tim took firm advantage of the privacy to spend one full night with Gibbs before heading back to his own apartment just after dawn. That gave him time to shower, check in on everything left undone before they’d gone after Ziva, and decide what to do now that one of his remaining secrets was out of the bag. He’d stood in front of his closet, debating for what felt like forever, before dressing in what felt the most comfortable for him.

Now, he sat at his desk, desperately trying to ignore the way half the women in the building flirted with him while walking though the bullpen, and waited to see how Tony handled the psych evaluations they needed to take in order to be cleared for duty. He’d walked in that morning, sat down and Dr. Janice Bracco took one look and just signed the papers. Her comment when he asked why there were no questions: “Anyone looking as comfortable in his skin as you do, Agent McGee, isn’t experiencing any trauma from these events. Do you want to go out for a drink tomorrow night?”

Tim shook the thoughts away and looked up from his computer to watch Agent Filmore typing vigorously on her computer. He wondered what her problem was that required such painful sounding typing. She’d never really meshed with the team though Tim wondered if that was because they’d been so caught up in trying to locate Ziva that they’d never made her feel welcome or if it was a fundamental personality clash.

“Good morning, Agent Filmore!” Tony’s loud greeting announced his entrance. Tim watched as the other man teased Filmore while walking over to stand beside his desk. There was something different about Tony – more than just what happened over the weekend – and Tim could be damned if he could put his finger on it. “Ziva… did she call?”

“You haven’t spoken to her either.”

“I tried to see her this morning.” Tim watched Tony look over his shoulder at the still madly typing Filmore before turning back and lowering his voice. “Abby all but threatened me when I went by Bethesda. When did Abby turn into an overprotective cat with only one kitten?”

“When Ziva let her hug her the day we got back.”

“Makes sense.” Tony rested his hands on Tim’s desk and leaned closer to him. “Listen, do you have any idea what’s going on around here? I had to sign an autograph coming through security.”

“I know what you mean. You know Janice in psych services?”

“Man hands, great eyes?”

“Yeah.” Tim signed the paper on his desk and set the pen down. “She asked me out for drinks tomorrow night.”

“That’s not bad for…” Tim watched as Tony consciously stopped what he was about to say. It was then he realized exactly what had changed with the older man. He was wearing gray jeans, designer but still jeans, paired with an almost white button down shirt and a gray jacket on top. The biggest change though was the gold wire rimmed glasses Tony was wearing. Tim had never seen the senior field agent in glasses before even when he was just on temporary assignment with the team when stationed in Norfolk. “Sorry, Tim, I almost…”

“I get it.” Tim chuckled softly and shook his head. “You look comfortable. And Ziva will speak to us when she’s ready. Though I don’t know where she’s going to sit.”

“I am. I miss my glasses, being able to type properly and casual clothes.” Tony shook his head and released a breath on a near sigh. “Ten bucks says that desk will be empty by the end of next month.”

“You never should have to…”

Tim didn’t get to finish as Agent Filmore slapped a pile of paper onto his desk. “Hate to disappoint you. My letter of resignation.”

“That’s… um… very long.”

“I had a hard time choosing the right adjectives. I couldn’t decide between childish, juvenile, and just plain old annoying.” Tim frowned up at the woman. He wanted to protest but didn’t get a chance before she continued on. “And you, you know better, but you’re so busy playing the faithful sidekick you just go along for the ride. I’ve had enough. Make sure that Agent Gibbs gets that.”

Tim looked at the pile of papers before stacking them together into a folder for Gibbs. He looked up at Tony as the other man watched Filmore storm about grabbing her stuff before leaving in a huff.

“Were we that bad, Probie?”

“You can be annoying.” Tim acknowledged the complaint with a small nod as he got to his feet. He grabbed the folder and headed for Gibbs’s desk. He set it down with a small post-it note on top. He turned back to Tony while leaning back to rest his hip against Gibbs’s desk. “I got used to it and just learned to ignore it after a while until you get on my last nerve.”

“Didn’t realize I’d gotten that bad.” Tony sounded like he couldn’t believe what he was saying. “No one said anything about my behavior once I started doing that. I mean…”

“I did wonder why you acted so differently in Norfolk compared to here but…” Tim shrugged one shoulder. “Wasn’t my place to ask.”

It looked like Tony was about to answer when Gibbs desk phone rang. Tim frowned down at it while it rang twice more before giving in and picking up the line. “Agent Gibbs Desk, Agent McGee speaking… I see. Text the address to Agent DiNozzo. We’ll take care of contacting Agent Gibbs. Thank you.”

“Case?”

“Yeah. Triple homicide.” Tim nodded and hung up the phone. He started for his desk and his gear while listening to Tony call their boss. Slinging his bag over his shoulder, he started for the elevator but paused to wait for Tony to join him. “Going to tell me what happened?”

“My Nonna taught me to never speak ill of our dead.” Tony punched the button for the elevator rather harder than necessary. “Or to speak badly of a lady. So, no, I don’t think I’ll ever tell you the whole story.”

“Kate.” Tim said the name of their late teammate flatly and with no inflection. He stepped into the elevator and hit the button for the garage. As the door’s slid closed, he turned to face Tony. “She didn’t like you. I noticed that. She didn’t seem to like me either though she was certainly close to Gibbs.”

“And Abby.” Tony leaned back against the wall on his side of the elevator. “I may have been an ass toward you but you still learned the lessons I taught. You questioned. You learned, Probie, but Kate…”

“I get it.” Tim chuckled bitterly. “Believe me, I do. So, this is the early DiNozzo I heard stories about?”

“Depends on the story.”

“Amad Bin Atwa. Rota.” Tim waved a hand as the doors opened again. He followed Tony out into the garage. “The way I heard it you and Gibbs managed to salvage the situation after Vivian Blackadder screwed things up and exposed the undercover op.”

“One way of putting it.” Tony circled the truck while Tim climbed into the passenger seat. “I take it you’re not going to buy my ‘I’m just a cop and a jock’ attitude anymore?”

“Never did in the first place.” Tim settled back and smirked. “No matter what else I am, I am a hacker. I background checked all three of the teams I was considering trying to get on before I decided on Gibbs’s team. I did a deeper one after I met you all down in Norfolk. I know all about the Masters in Forensic Psychology degree you never mention.”

“I see.” Tony glanced at him as he drove. “What else?”

“Do I know?”

“Yeah.”

“You speak fluent Spanish and Italian. You’re an only child. Your father’s the perfect con man which is why he was able to integrate himself with the team so quickly despite being a perfect asshole according to what I found when I looked you up. You could have gone to Harvard or Yale but turned them both down for Ohio State. Worked undercover narcotics and then vice before becoming a homicide detective. And Gibbs recruited you personally. Just as he did Kate and me. Ziva’s the only agent he didn’t bring onto the team himself.”

“Ziva’s not an agent.” Tony parked and hopped out of the truck. He leaned in the door to stare across the cab at Tim. “Not yet. May never be. She’d have to leave Mossad and become a citizen first.”

“I know.” Tim followed Tony around the van. “She’ll stay.”

“We can only hope.” Tony grabbed one bag and handed it over to him, then grabbed another and started toward the motel where the crime scene waited. “Let’s get to work before Gibbs shows up and head slaps us.”


	12. Chapter 12

**CHAPTER TWELVE**

“Hey Boss.” Tony greeted him casually as he came into the room. “Marine Staff Sargent Jeff Ross. He’s the one who booked the room. Said it was for a buddy’s bachelor party.”

“Local LEOs identified him.” Tim continued while fiddling with the camera around his neck. “Then they called us. Haven’t identified the other two yet.”

“Still waiting on the Duckman.” Tony finished the summary of what little they knew at the moment.

Gibbs just barely smiled at the sight of the younger men working so well together. There was a vibe there between them. As if the air had been cleared and they were completely comfortable with each other as they moved around the room. The usual picking and teasing was gone replaced with quiet competence as they worked. This was the team he’d been trying to build when he pulled McGee out of Norfolk. Now he had it. Well, almost had it. One vital component was still missing. Gibbs moved further into the room, peered into the attached bath, and frowned at his team. “Where’s Filmore?”

“She…”

Gibbs watched as they looked at each other and then him. He could read the answer in their expressions. “Uh huh.” He shook his head and turned toward the door. “So, who found’em?”

“That would be the stripper.” Tony’s voice was calm with none of that flirty tone he usually got when speaking of a pretty woman. “She’s in the next room with her manager.”

Gibbs gave his team a look and bit back the laugh as they both nodded. He crooked a finger at McGee and headed out of the room to interview the stripper. He quickly noted the manager was a controlling asshole who cared more about his money then the girl working for him. Gibbs blinked as McGee sneezed when the man sprayed cologne in his direction. Story gotten, including the disturbing comment about the missing hair, he returned to the other room to get details from Ducky.

“Well?”

“Whoever did this…?” Ducky looked at him from over the bald head of the corpse. “Did it after they were dead.”

With that disturbing information noted for the record, Gibbs directed the team to finish up the motel room. They worked quickly and silently. It was nice. Strange but nice. They got back to the office and he set his boys to work on getting background information on the deceased while he headed up to Vance’s office to speak to him. He glanced at Vance’s assistant but she just gave him a quick nod so he walked right into the office. Idly, he wondered when one of the Directors would realize their assistant always let him know if it was clear to walk right in without waiting for permission.

“I’ve been expecting you, Gibbs.” Vance looked up from the folders on his desk. “I just received the final evaluations on your team and signed off on them. You’re officially back in the rotation. How is Miss David?”

“I don’t know. She…” Gibbs sat down in the chair directly in front of Vance’s desk. “She doesn’t want to see any of us but Abs.”

“She was held captive by Islamic terrorists. You know how they think. What they think of women outside their faith.” Vance rose to his feet and turned to look out the windows. “It’s understandable she feels more comfortable with another woman.”

“I know.” Gibbs watched Vance for a moment. “Will you approve Abs leave?”

“Can you work with another forensic scientist?”

“Leon…”

“It’s a simple question, Gibbs.” Vance turned back to him and rested a hand on the back of his chair. “Everyone in the building knows how close your team and your regular support people are. We all also know how much Miss Sciuto hates to have other techs in her lab yet she’s asked for an indefinite leave in order to support Miss David. She has the accrued time. I need to know if it’ll be a problem.”

“We’ll manage, Leon.” Gibbs inclined his head in acknowledgment of the words. They were all close. They had to be considering some of the things they’d seen and gone through even before this recent trauma with Ziva. “I’m more concerned about Ziva. She needs Abs. And we need to know what’s going on with Mossad.”

“I’ll approve her leave.” Vance sat again. He pulled a paper from beneath the folders and signed it with a flourish. “Mossad. That’s a mess. Director David…” He trailed off and shook his head. “Doctor Mallard told me to ban him from the Yard. Easy enough to do but I can’t stop State from letting him into the country. He’s already on me about sending her back to Israel again. I’m not sure how long I can stall him. Right now, she can’t really travel but later…”

“Just keep me in the loop, Leon. We’ll worry about later when it’s later.” Gibbs rose to his feet. “Right now, we help her heal so she can make decisions.”

“And…”

“I want her back.” Gibbs considered how to explain himself to Vance. He’d never been able to get any of the directors to understand how he sometimes just knew when the right combination of people were together or that things were going sour. “We need her, Leon, and she needs us.”

“No promises, but I’ll see what I can do.” Vance grabbed another folder and flipped it open. Gibbs knew it was a dismissal and started for the door. He’d just started to open it when Vance spoke again. “She has to make a choice, Gibbs. She can either be NCIS – with all the obligations that go with it – or she can be Mossad. She can’t be both anymore.”

“Understood.” Gibbs pulled the door open. He started out, stopped and turned back to Vance. “Thanks, Director.”

“Don’t thank me yet.” Vance didn’t even look up from his paperwork. “This is a diplomatic mess and she’s damaged goods. How damaged still needs to be decided.”

Shaking his head at the consummate politician his friend and fellow agent had become over the years in the management track, Gibbs shook his head and headed back down to check on his team. The bullpen was still empty. He started to sit but his cell rang. He glanced at it then flipped it open. “Yeah, Duck. On my way.”

“Ah, Jethro…” Ducky broke off his conversation with Palmer about bachelor parties and circled the body on the closest table. “I called you down here because liver pathology suggested, and Anderson later confirmed, that the all three men were drugged prior to their death. The champagne. And while semi-conscious, one was drowned, one suffocated and Sargent Ross here died of massive alcohol poisoning. Likely ingested under duress.”

“Semi-conscious?”

“Very astute, Jethro. The killer…”

“Wanted them awake when they died.” Gibbs frowned down at the file he still held.

“Which implies a deeper meaning to the almost ritualistic manner of death.” Ducky pointed toward his assistant. “Mr. Palmer here discovered something…”

“I found an inconsistency in Ross’s military file.” Palmer joined them while opening the file in question. Not for the first time, Gibbs wondered how the young man could be so competent when talking about his own field but so socially awkward otherwise. “The record states that he sustained a work related injury while on base in Korea but Doctor Mallard found evidence of a gunshot wound.”

“Not something I’d expect to see in a work related injury.”

“Falsified the report.” Gibbs rolled his eyes as the other two in the room just smiled at him. His case just got infinitely more complicated if the commanders in Korea were falsifying reports. Frowning, he stalked from the room to head back upstairs where he found McGee in front of the plasma playing with the remote and video clips. It had been months since their trip to Los Angeles and Tim still wanted a plasma setup like Special Projects had out there. He stood, silent and still, behind McGee and waited to see how long until he was noticed. Only took a few seconds.

“Hey Boss.” Tim turned toward him with a slightly sheepish look. “ATM and traffic camera footage. We got a tip that one of our victims was being followed. Thought I’d take a look at the routes he was on.”

Gibbs just waved his hand between them.

“Right, the swiping thing was…”

“Need to talk to Sargent Ross’s CO in South Korea.”

“I’ll set it up in MTAC.”

“Where’s DiNozzo?”

“On an interview.” McGee tilted his head to one side. “Sandich’s fiancée’s back in town.”

“And already reengaged.” Tony squeezed between them. He held up a disc as he passed them. “I would make a bad joke here but I’m trying to stop that. Normally, I’d also tell you to play this but…” Gibbs watched as Tony dropped the disc onto Tim’s desk. “Let’s say it’s not something we want to play in public. That’s from his real bachelor party, five months ago, when Sandich’s fiancée found the tape she called off the engagement.”

“Which means…”

“They were all still single.” Tony smiled smugly. “This party was a cover.”

“McGee, get me that CO. Need him ASAP.” Gibbs sat and reached for his phone. He still needed to tell Abby she’d gotten her leave. “Tony, find out what the party was a cover for.”


	13. Chapter 13

**CHAPTER THIRTEEN**

They worked for another hour, mostly setting up searches and arranging calls for the next day, and then Gibbs dismissed them for the night with orders to be in at eight hundred hours. Tim waited until Gibbs, already on the phone with Abby again, left for the night before turning his attention to Tony. “We need to talk.”

“If you were a woman, Tim, I’d be worried hearing that phrase.” Tony reached forward and shutdown his computer before turning back to him. “Where and when.”

“Now.” Tim grabbed his bag and his jacket. “Where? That’s a question. Your place, mine or we can likely borrow Gibbs. Up to you. You need to be comfortable for this.”

“Mine.” Tony grabbed his own bag and slung it over his shoulder. “I know I haven’t been the most…”

“Tony.” Tim reached over and grasped his arm. “That’s the past. Let’s go. I’ll meet you there?”

“Sounds good.”

Tim followed Tony out of the building. He sat in his car and watched as Tony left the lot. In all the years they’d worked together, Tony had never invited anyone – not even Gibbs – to his apartment. That he was now asking Tim there said a lot about the levels of trust they now had for each other. Tim wondered if Tony understood just how important trust was to people like him. Finally, after sitting there for a while, Tim started the car and drove across DC to Tony’s apartment. He parked next to the Mustang and switched his work bag for one out of the trunk. Then he headed upstairs and knocked on the door.

“Hey Tim.” Tony opened the door with a grin. “I picked up Chinese on the way home. Got the usual. Figured you wouldn’t mind.”

“That’s fine.” Tim stepped into the foyer and looked around at the space before him. All soft creams and whites with black leather couches and a plasma television mounted over the fireplace. Tim chuckled softly as he stepped down into the living room and dropped his bag on the floor by the sofa. The baby grand by the window caught his eye. He wandered over to it and smiled at the sheet music scattered on top. “I didn’t know you played.”

“When I can.” Tony called from the kitchen. Tim headed that direction to find Tony pulling plates from a cabinet. He took the one handed to him and perched on a stool at the large central island. “Want a beer? Or I picked up a couple of cokes.”

“The soda.” Tim laughed softly. “I rarely drink, Tony.”

“Noticed that.” Tony handed him the soda bottle then slid over the container of Szechuan prawns. Tim caught it and slid the egg rolls over to him. They dished out the meal and started eating in silence. “Never understood it, but noticed it.”

“If I have to drink, I stick to white wine.” Tim smiled as he held a prawn up between them. “And then only one glass. Between what I am and the things I saw when I was younger, I don’t want to get into the habit of drinking.”

“I get it.” Tony ate a bit more and sighed. “I should probably cut back. Both my parents used alcohol as a crutch. My dad still does. I knew how to mix the perfect mint julep by the time I was six.” He sighed and glared at his beer bottle. “I told you about my mother.”

“You’ve mentioned her.”

“Yeah, enough said.” Tony took a long drink of his beer before setting it aside and getting up to grab another soda. “So, topic change before I get depressed. What did we need to talk about?”

“There are several things but we need to start with the most important one.”

“And that is?”

“Are you really serious about this?” Tim finished off his prawns and rested his elbows on the counter. He absently picked at the label on the bottle. “Once you start down the Path, there’s no going back. You’re at the proverbial crossroads, Tony. You can stay as a follower – one who supports the Hunt in their duties – or you can join the Hunt.” Tim dropped his gaze to the table for a moment then looked back up at him. “I know what I’d like you to do. And I know what My Lord has implied to me and obliquely offered you. But the final decision is yours. It has to be, Tony.”

“Ask the question, Tim.”

Tim stared at his friend who just stared back at him. Finally, he slipped off the stool and circled the island to stand fairly close to Tony. He bowed his head for a moment, gathering himself together, and then lifted it to look directly into Tony’s eyes. “Anthony DiNozzo, would you swear allegiance to My Lord Gwyn ap Nudd, dispense His justice and enforce His judgments?”

To Tim’s surprise, Tony rose to his feet and kicked the stool he’d been sitting on back a bit. He took a step forward before dropping to one knee in front of Tim and bowing his head. “I am His man, and yours, in this life and the next, and my heart and my hand I bind to His service.”

Tim shivered. A chill raced down his spine as Tony spoke. One part of his mind couldn’t believe what Tony said, couldn’t accept that Tony had any inkling of what he’d done, while the rest was silently cheering that he wouldn’t lose his friend and companion. Tim held out a hand to Tony and smiled. He swallowed once and drew in a steadying breath. “On His behalf, I accept your service.”

Tony took his hand and, almost as Tim expected, kissed the back as if he was acknowledging his liege lord. He then, when Tim tugged lightly, bounced to his feet with a grin. “Serious stuff out of the way then?”

“Some, not all.” Tim turned and braced himself against the island. “Do you know what you’ve done?”

“I told you I couldn’t watch your back from the sidelines.” Tony grabbed his soda and took a long drink. “Plus, she told me what the best wording would be so I could both answer and protect you.”

“Need to talk about her too.” Tim grabbed his drink and finished it off. He tossed the empty bottle into a nearby bin and started cleaning and stacking plates just to keep his hands busy. “You just named yourself my Second. Not that I have much of a Hunting Party as yet, but still…”

“I thought people like you had Covens.”

“Most Pagans and Wiccans are part of a coven or circle.” Tim nodded and finished stacking the dishes in the sink. “There is a nearby coven that I’ll occasionally attend sabbats with and a couple of others that I’m in regular contact with but one of my own, no. A Hunting Party is a group – not necessarily occult practitioners – who act to hunt down evil and keep it in check thereby maintaining the balance between good and evil, Light and Dark, however you wish to refer to it.”

“Well…” Tony looked up from putting dishes in the dishwasher. “If that’s the case, you have one. Our team is one. We stop criminals and put them away. That’s doing good, isn’t it?”

Tim thought about this for a moment before a small chuckle escaped him. “I never thought of that. You’re right though and most of the people I know who have useful gifts are all at NCIS.”

“Who?” Tony bumped the dishwasher shut with his hip. “Or aren’t you allowed to tell me.”

“Not allowed to yet. It’s best to have permission before speaking of others.” Tim tilted his head toward the living room. Tony nodded and threw him another soda bottle so Tim headed out to sit on the sofa. He waited for Tony to join him before explaining. “One of the biggest rules that I and most people like me hold to is secrecy. There’s little to no threat of large scale witch hunts or persecutions anymore but it’s still possible to lose jobs or children because of our beliefs.”

“So, treat it like classified information?” Tony sprawled on the other end of the sofa and cracked his bottle open. “Speak only to those already in the know.”

“Something like that, yep.”

“I will get to meet some of these people you know when the time’s right.”

“Yup. That’s part of what I have to teach you.” Tim set his soda aside. He leaned toward Tony and considered him. “About Kelly, assuming it is Kelly you’re meeting…”

“It is.” Tony ducked his head and blushed. It was the first time Tim could remember seeing the older man blushing. “I thought I’d be in trouble with her because I slipped. I know I slipped and now Gibbs knows. I didn’t mean to hurt him, Tim.”

“I take it she talked to you.”

“Yeah.” Tony looked up for a moment and then rose to cross to his piano. He drummed his fingers on the top while staring out the window. “Told me I wasn’t in trouble with her. She actually kind of expected it. But that I should be prepared for the Boss to be…”

“Unsettled.” Tim interrupted him. “He’s not really upset. Just having a hard time accepting that in the Otherworld she’s grown up without him. To him, she’s still that little girl who didn’t want her daddy to leave for war.”

“And to me she’s a twenty-something young woman. I get it, Tim.”

“He needs time, Tony.” Tim rose and joined his friend. He reached out and stilled Tony’s tapping fingers. “That’s the one issue I know I’m going to have to deal with for a long time. He’s still not really mourned for them or moved on. It’s why all his marriages failed since Shannon’s death. Gibbs… One of the things I love about him is his loyalty to his family and those he considers part of his family but until he lets them go...”

“A part of him will always be separate from you.”

“Yeah.” Tim finished off his soda and sighed tiredly. “So, give him time to come to terms with the changes. It would likely help a lot of you don’t treat his daughter – even this version of her – like you do the others you’ve dated.”

“Oh hell no.” Tony shook his head hard and snatched the empty bottle out of Tim’s hand. He headed for the kitchen and tossed it away. “I wouldn’t just have Gibbs after my head if I did that. No, she’s… different… but then so am I now.”

“That you are, Tony.” Tim clasped his arm then clapped a hand against Tony’s shoulder. “I’m going to head out. We’ve got a hell of a day tomorrow.”

“Just the three of us and a case with more questions than answers.” Tony followed him to the door. “Get some rest, Probie. I doubt we’ll get another free night until it’s over.”

“At least it’s not kids this time.”

“We’d still be at work if it was. Night, Tim.”

“Night, Tony.”


	14. Chapter 14

**CHAPTER FOURTEEN**

“Yeah, Gibbs.” Gibbs rubbed a hand over his face as he sat up. “I’ll be there in fifteen, Abs.”

He flipped the phone closed and stared at it for a couple of minutes, then scrambled up for a shower and coffee. That Ziva had specifically requested to see him meant he’d be there as quickly as possible. With the morning traffic, he’d probably take longer than the stated fifteen minutes, but he’d get there as fast as he could.

Thirty minutes and a lot of pissed off commuters later; Gibbs pulled into a parking place at Bethesda. He started for the door, coffee in hand, and chuckled at the sight of a pacing Abby waiting for him.

“Gibbs!” Abby grabbed him in a tight hug. She took a step back. He looked her over and sighed. She looked like hell at the moment. “Ziva’s in room 212 in building nine. I promised her I’d be back in an hour. I need to grab a shower and clean clothes.”

“You handling okay, Abs?”

“I’m okay.” Abby hugged him again before heading off with that not-quite-a-run-walk she’d had the last time they seen her.

Gibbs watched her leave before heading inside and checking in. He took the time it took to get up to Ziva’s floor to calm and center himself. He couldn’t let Ziva see any of his anger with her father or the situation. All she needed to do was heal. Reaching her room, he tapped lightly once and then pushed the door open. “Ziver.”

“Gibbs.”

“I won’t ask how you feel.” Gibbs shifted the chair in the room a couple of inches back from her bed. “If there’s anything you need or want to talk about…” He trailed off and ducked his head for a moment. “I am glad you asked to see me.”

“I am sorry, Gibbs.” Her voice was soft. Broken and a bit scratchy compared to when he’d spoken to her last before leaving her in Tel Aviv. She also wouldn’t look him in the eye as she normally did when they talked. “When you left me in Israel, I felt betrayed. But I had a long time to think about things. A very, very, very long time. You were right to leave me there…”

“No.” He barely breathed the word. “I never should have left you there. I knew what your father was capable of.”

“The point is now I do too. I had forgotten who I could trust.” She looked up at him with tears in her eyes. “We were a team. And I would like that again.”

“You need to heal first.”

“It is your blessing I want.” Ziva slowly lifted a hand toward him. Unable to resist, Gibbs reached forward and gently wrapped his hand around hers. “Eli David is dead to me. I was nothing but a weapon to him. So…”

“Ziver.” Gibbs tightened his hold for a moment while he thought on how to say what everyone knew and she’d apparently forgotten. “I’ve already talked to Vance. He’s waiting for when you’re able to come in and talk to him. There are decisions that need to be made. They’re not easy ones, but…”

“I know, Gibbs. I thought I could just go back, forget...” Ziva’s hand clenched on his; she looked down at the blanket covering her. “But I can’t. Abby’s right. I have to deal with this first.”

“One step at a time, Ziva. Take care of yourself first, then speak to the Director and…” Gibbs shook his head a bit. “He’s not the only one you need to talk to but start by healing.”

“And my father?”

“Has nothing to do with this. It is your choice. Only your choice. No one else’s.” Gibbs released her hand and patted the back. “You leave Eli David to me.”

“I… Thank you, Gibbs.” She smiled up at him before staring down at the blankets again. A soft tap on the door stopped her from speaking again. The tap was followed by a woman not much older than Ziva who stopped just inside the open door and peered curiously from Ziva to Gibbs and back again. “Gibbs, this is Rabbanit Eliana Malka. Eliana, this is my boss, Jethro Gibbs. He and his team found me in Somalia.” Ziva dropped her eyes again. “Rabbanit Malka is counseling me and helping Abby navigate the offered services.”

“Ma’am.” Gibbs inclined his head to the woman in the doorway before turning back to Ziva. He patted her hand again and then rose to his feet. “I’ll leave you to talk. Call anytime, Ziva. Abby should be back in an hour.”

“I will.” Ziva smiled up at him. “I will call when I am ready.”

“Good.” Gibbs waited for the Rabbanit – and that term really confused him not that he’d show it but definitely confused him – to move out of the doorway. To his surprise, she went back into the hall rather than come in the room. Mentally shrugging, Gibbs left the room and nodded to her as he passed her. He stopped at the nurse’s desk to sign out only to meet Ducky coming in. “Duck.”

“She called you?”

“Had Abs call.” Gibbs shoved a hand through his hair. “She’s got a visitor right now. How is she, Duck?”

“Struggling.” Ducky reached for the desk’s copy of Ziva’s chart and flipped through it. Nodding, he handed it back to the duty nurse then turned back to him. “As you know, she’s asked that I say nothing. So, only generalities.”

“Understood.”

“There’s not just the emotional trauma of her captivity to overcome, Jethro.” Ducky stalked across the room to glare out at the parking structure outside. “There’s the knowledge that her father saw her as expendable. There is physical healing to go through. And the struggle to find a new place in the world. I have asked Ziva and Abby to stay with me when Ziva is released to outpatient care. I can monitor her physical healing while Abby helps her to find a new home.”

“I know you’ll take care of her.” Gibbs turned his own glare on the building outside the windows. “Think she’ll make it?”

“If she has something to look forward to.”

“Already have it set up for her to come back provided she makes the right choices.”

“Then, yes, she will.” Ducky smiled at him and headed back to the desk. “I’ll just leave her a note and we’ll head in. We still have work to do.”

“Yeah.” Gibbs tilted his head to the side and clenched one hand by his side. He could just hear Ziva’s sobs through her closed door. He knew she needed to cry, to let the emotions out, but the part of him that was all parent wanted to go and hold her. He knew he couldn’t and that tore at his guts. He had to leave before he stormed back into that room and upset everything she’d accomplished so far. “Met you at the Yard, Duck.”


	15. Chapter 15

**CHAPTER FIFTEEN**

“McGee.” Gibbs stormed into the bullpen. “What’s a rabbanit?”

“The wife of a rabbi, Boss.” Tony answered him as both of the younger agents turned toward him from where they’d been discussing the case in front of the plasma. “She leads the women’s groups in a Jewish community and provides advice to those women not comfortable speaking to the Rabbi directly. It’s most commonly used in the various Orthodox communities. Why?”

“Ziva’s getting counseling from one.” Gibbs set his coffee down on his desk. “But she wouldn’t enter Ziva’s hospital room when I was there. I wondered…”

“Jewish tradition.” Tim smoothly interrupted. “At least in some groups. They don’t believe unrelated adult men and women should be alone together.” Tim frowned as he thought about it. “I suspect that if Ziva continues to be observant, she’ll likely drift toward a more liberal congregation. I know she’s not as Orthodox as most native-born Israelis.”

“Oh.” Gibbs leaned back against his desk. “You two looked into this?”

“I did.” Tim shook his head a bit. “I didn’t want to offend her. Didn’t know about Tony.”

“Hey! I poked around too.” Tony waved the remote to the plasma in the air. “Your call to Korea should be ready in fifteen. We’re still trying to find clues as to who was following Jurel.”

“Keep working on it. And, McGee, summarize for me anything I should know about those traditions. Just in case.” Gibbs grabbed his coffee and headed for the stairs. “I hate this case. I hate cases with more questions than answers.”

Leaving the boys behind, Gibbs took the steps to MTAC two at a time. He needed the quiet darkness of the room to regroup before he spoke to Sargent Ross’s commanding officer. Ziva was floundering. He could see that. She’d lost her siblings – one by her own hand – to war and now her own father sent her off to die for his cause. Gibbs sipped his coffee and tried to think. He had to find a way to convince her she was one of his kids, as important to him as Abby and Tony.

His thoughts froze as he realized he’d never listed Tim in that group. His kids were Abby, Tony and now Ziva; Tim had always been something different to him. Gibbs filed that thought away for later examination. He’d likely need to talk to Tim. There had to be some way to make Ziva understand what she was to him. Tossing his empty cup away, Gibbs forced himself to focus on the screen as the techs brought up the connection to South Korea. 

“Nice to speak to you, Agent Gibbs.” Ross’s Commander spoke through the video connection. “I’m certain I’m not the first to say Hoorah. Quite a feat your team pulled off in North Africa.”

“Uh huh.”

“Love to hear the details.” Gibbs just kept his blank face as he watched the screen. “Come’n Gunny, we don’t get a lot of action in South Korea.”

“Sargent Ross.” Gibbs said instead of telling the tale. He was sick of being asked about the search for Ziva. “You know him.”

“He’s a good man. How can I help?”

“Accident report you signed. Said he got hurt on base.”

“He’s a flight mechanic. Got his arm caught in a hydrologic.”

“Really?” Gibbs decided to let the man have enough rope to hang himself. “My ME here says it was a gunshot wound. He’s pretty smart.” He waited for a moment and then asked, “Care to revise your report.”

“Guess I have to.” The officer leaned back in his chair and rubbed his chin. “Starting with the fact Ross was the biggest bastard I ever met. I was trying to avoid an international incident. Ross took two days leave, said he was visiting his girl in Seoul. When he came back he was shot.”

“I’m going to need a revised report.”

“I’ll have it on your desk at oh-eight hundred tomorrow.”

Gibbs signaled for the connection to be cut. He glanced upwards toward the back of the room as the door opened and closed. Vance joined him with a thin folder in hand.

“I’ve got something for you to sign.” Vance held the folder out to him. “Ziva’s reinstatement. This is, of course, contingent on her release from her doctors and her psych evaluations. I wanted to get the ball rolling because I think she’s a vital part of this agency.”

“And what does Eli David think?”

“I’ve got some details to work out.” Vance met his gaze. Gibbs could see how the man was weighing him as he spoke. “I’m not going to try if you don’t want her. Or were you hoping I wouldn’t be able to work out the details so you wouldn’t have to make that call?”

“Leon.” Gibbs clenched his jaw. He saw right through the Director’s ploy. He caught that the other man knew his thoughts from the smile which quickly appeared and disappeared. “I already told you, Leon. We need Ziva.”

“Yeah.” Vance smiled again and nodded. “I remember.”

“Well.” Vance tapped the folder with one finger. “That should make this part easy for you. Convincing her…”

“Leave that to me, Leon.” Gibbs nodded and stepped past Vance to head for the door. He paused to look back at the other man. He tried to say what was necessary without speaking the words. He didn’t need what he thought of Ziva to be making the rounds of scuttlebutt. When Vance nodded to him, he knew he’d succeeded. He grabbed the door and headed back down to the bullpen.

“Sargent Ross went MIA during a two day leave last month. Find out where he went.” Gibbs order Tony as he passed Tony’s desk. He tossed the folder from Vance onto his desk and dropped into the chair. He knew this case was getting more and more complicated by the minute.

“Hey Boss, I think I found a way to determine who was shadowing Jurel.” Tim continued typing as he looked up from his computer. “The red line was Jurel’s daily drive. We’re looking for cell signals that were consistently shadowing him.” A beep from the computer spared Gibbs having to demand answers. “Got a hit. It’s a cell phone that shows up close to Jurel’s car several times.”

“You got a name?”

“That’s odd. The cell doesn’t have a valid ESN number. Could be black market.”

“It’s a burn phone, Tim.” Tony snapped. “Just say burn phone.”

Gibbs frowned at Tony’s snapping though he did understand his senior agent’s frustration with the way Tim wouldn’t use standard office slang for some things. “Can you trace it?”

“I can do better than that.” Tim typed a bit more than shoved his chair back. Gibbs raised an eyebrow in question as Tim stood and grabbed his gun out of his desk. “I can take you right to it.”

A quick drive led to them being lied to by a Baltimore cop. What was it with Baltimore cops? Sometimes he hated dealing with them – DiNozzo seemed to be the only good one to come out of that city – and now they were again hunting for clues. Nothing seemed to be adding up. He’d set the boys to work on trying to find a connection between their lying cop – Shelley – and their victims. All he wanted was for this case to end. He needed some down time and to have a talk with Tim.


	16. Chapter 16

**CHAPTER SIXTEEN**

Tim searched though all the usual databases for connections between Shelley and their victims. It was frustrating especially when he realized they’d all gone to the same high school and the victims had a record of bullying their fellow students. The one group of people he hated with a passion was bullies. They never seemed to understand how deeply their actions hurt their victims. Apparently, assuming Shelley held a grudge, the cop killed them for revenge. He said as much to his boss between sips of his recently purchased coffee.

“And if he didn’t, it recently got a refresh.” Tony’s somewhat strangled sounding voice came from behind them. Tim watched as he all but pranced toward where he and Gibbs stood in front of Gibbs desk. “And I’m going to explain that after I hit the head.”

“DiNozzo.” Gibbs voice was flat, a sure sign he was nearing the end of his patience with the current case.

“It can wait.” Tony turned back to them with a grimace. It took all of Tim’s control not to taunt his partner by leisurely sipping coffee in front of him. “Spoke to a buddy from homicide. He said that Shelley pulled over Sargent Ross and gave him a ticket. Then gave him three tickets when he realized it was his old high school tormentor.”

“Oh,” Tim mused, “I bet that felt good.” He knew he’d feel good if he could arrest his old tormentors.

“Yeah, you would think that.” Tony gasped the words out. Tim couldn’t believe Gibbs was actually making Tony give a report before letting him hit the head. Then he realized this was Gibbs subtle bit of punishment, likely for apparently dating some version of Gibbs’s daughter. “Fun didn’t last long. Why don’t you check your email?”

Tim headed for his desk and set his coffee down. He logged in quickly and soon had the file in question playing on both the plasma and his desktop. Tony cursed as he turned to stand beside Gibbs. Tim wondered if Tony would figure out this was payback for the other night.

“Ross got payback. He emailed an old high school video of Shelley to everyone in Shelley’s precinct.” Tim frowned at his monitor as footage of their victims tormenting Officer Shelley began to play. That looked way too familiar to him – minus the head shaving – but still very familiar. Tony’s strangled voice continued to explain. “Not the sort of thing you want your buddies to see.”

Tim looked down at the file of background information he’d compiled on Shelley. He frowned as he started to put some pieces together. All the things which had happened to their victims had occurred on a near weekly basis to Shelley. Tim stopped the video while explaining what he’d just put together. “We’ve got a motive.”

“Yeah.” Tony bounced a bit in place. “I’d say Shelley held a grudge all these years.”

“Be nice to have Shelley.” Gibbs sipped at his coffee. “McGee. Bank statements and credit cards.” Tim headed for his desk to get started. He watched Gibbs take another long drink from his coffee. “DiNozzo.”

“Yes, Boss?”

“Shake it.”

“Thank you, Boss.” Tony groaned hoarsely as he ran out of the bullpen toward the men’s room.

Tim looked up from his desk to find Gibbs smiling across the bullpen at him. Gibbs toasted him with his coffee cup. Tim just shook his head slightly as he got to back to work on digging up information on Shelley. As time passed with Tony out of the room, Gibbs crossed over to lean against the corner of his desk. Tim shivered as Gibbs’s hand stroked across his shoulders before dropping to rest on the back of his chair. Occasionally, his thumb would stroke a small circle on his back as Gibbs watched him work.

“I know how to find Officer Shelley.” Tony’s voice announced his presence as he leaned on his desk. “Track his burn phone.”

“Well, we already know where it is.” Tim somehow managed to refrain from rolling his eyes. “It’s in the evidence garage.”

“He’s got another one.”

“Well, that’s great but without the cell’s ESN numbers, we can’t track it.”

“Think, Tim.” Tony smirked at him. “Harness our investigative powers.”

“Kay.” Tim cautiously agreed with Tony. “It’s an unregistered phone. It was pricey for a cop.”

“Bingo.”

“Shelley took it from a bust.” Gibbs added himself to the conversation.

“Happens all the time.” Tony explained his reasoning while Tim ran yet another search. “An extra Rolex or laptop disappears from the evidence locker. Not that I’ve ever done anything like that.”

“Officer Shelley busted a black market cellphone ring last year.” Tim interrupted Tony’s rambling explanation. He frowned at the monitor in front of him. “And the impounded cell’s ESNs are all logged. If he’s got one, we can track it.”

“See if any are active.” Gibbs shifted to rest both hands on his desk.

“We got one of them.” Tim watched the screen and frowned at it again. “Making a call right now.”

Gibbs desk phone rang almost as soon as he was done speaking. They all looked at each other and then Tony looked over his shoulder at the ringing phone. It rang for a third time. Tim looked up at Gibbs. “Boss, you may want to answer that.”

Gibbs strode over and hit the speaking button on his phone. “Yeah. Gibbs.”

The ensuing conversation, in Tim’s mind at least, was typical of just about every criminal suspect they dealt with at one time or another. As if they’d really meet with him, even if he was a cop, alone. Tim decided that somewhere out there, there was a manual for criminals – maybe Crime for Dummies – that made them believe it was possible to get a cop or agent alone for a meet. Tim shook his head as they geared up and headed out. Hopefully, they’d finally get this case put to bed. Tim knew it’d been a false hope even as they set up for the meeting. His hunch confirmed when Shelley’s car wove erratically down the street to crash through the designated phone booth and into the alley beyond. He didn’t need Gibbs to check to know that Shelley was dead. It was obvious just looking in the window of the vehicle.

Frustration mounting, they quickly worked the scene of the accident. Sending the body off with Ducky and dropping the evidence in the lab for Anderson – Abby’s temporary replacement – to work for them. Tim hoped something would break soon before Gibbs started growling over their lack of progress. The fax machine spit out a page behind Tony who read it and handed it over to him to read as they both headed down to autopsy to report their continued lack of progress to Gibbs. Their only lead the report of a plane that disappeared from a smuggler’s airstrip in Korea.

Tim took a step forward toward the body. He absently mused on what they needed to do as he moved. One good breath caused him to sneeze. He rubbed at his nose and took a step back. “I hit something on the body.”

“Cologne.” Ducky pointed a finger toward the lower half of the corpse. “He must have come into contact recently with an over-cologner.”

Tim glanced at Gibbs. Gibbs gave him a ‘dammit’ look in response. They both started toward the door following closely on Tony’s heels as they headed for the elevator. Now they had yet another suspect to question though Tim’s instincts were telling him they still hadn’t found the right person. Maybe that slimy promoter would point them in the right direction finally.

Tim stood with Tony in observation as Gibbs grilled the bastard in question about the murders. Slimeball finally explained exactly what the party was a cover for. It wasn’t a cover at all but a celebration of the sale of a stolen plane. It certainly made sense for them to celebrate a black market sale like that. And damn if the slimeball’s alibi held up to checking.

“We’re back to who killed the cop.” Tim spoke the words softly. He was starting to get as frustrated as Gibbs was with this case. He was almost tempted to use his more esoteric skills in search of a clue or lead but knew that he’d rather save those for a more brutal and desperate case. “I’m not sure we’re going to…”

“Why would someone use an antique percussion cap pistol to commit murder?” Anderson walked into observation after a single quick knock on the door. “I ran the ballistics on the bullet removed from Officer Shelley. It’s a new bullet fired from an old gun.”

“How old?” Gibbs shifted his attention to the forensic tech.

“It’s from a nineteenth century V R Tower pistol.” Anderson handed a photo printout to Tony. He then nodded to them. “I’ll get back to work on the rest of the forensics, Agent Gibbs.”

“Yeah, go.” Gibbs didn’t even watch the man leave just leaned forward to look at the picture. Tim looked from the picture to Gibbs. “McGee?”

“Jurel’s Auction School.” Tim chuckled softly and clapped Tony on the shoulder. “Care to guess, Tony?”

“The crying miscellaneous items broker.”

“Got it in one.” Tim smirked and tilted his head to the door. “She’s probably going to auction the weapon for good measure.”

“Not if we get there first.” Gibbs growled the words and reached for the doorknob. “Let’s go.”

The takedown was almost anticlimactic. After a brief talk with the instructor for the school as he retrieved the pistol in question from their suspect’s car, they quickly caught up with her as she rushed out of the building. She tried, as most do, to bluff her way out but Tim quickly shot her down.

“You know what that means.” Gibbs’s smirk was audible even if it wasn’t visible on his face.

“You’re under arrest.” Tim shared a grin with Tony as they chorused the words. They couldn’t have timed that better if they practiced it.

It didn’t take long at all to process her through booking. Four counts of murder would definitely derail her career in the auction world. Doing up their reports ended up taking longer; however, they still managed to get done before dark for a change. Tim watched as Tony finished his report, handed it over and headed out of the building. He waited for his own report to print, delaying as long as possible to be certain Tony wasn’t coming back for anything, and then stacked it up into a folder. He handed it over with a barely there smile. “Boss? I’ve got something we need to discuss.”

Gibbs took the folder. He arched an eyebrow – a silent demand for more information that Tim was very familiar with – and then looked down to glance over the report. Tim looked around the room to confirm no one was close enough to overhear him. “My place about twenty hundred. I’ll provide dinner.”

“I’ll bring the beer.”


	17. Chapter 17

**CHAPTER SEVENTEEN**

“McGee.” Tim debated for a moment before switching to the speaker mode on his smartphone. This way he could keep working on dinner even as he dealt with the call. “Everything okay, Abby?”

_“Timmy!”_ Abby’s extremely cheerful voice echoed from the phone. Only years of experience with her allowed him to know just how much of that cheer was forced. _“Listen, I just thought of something. What do I have to do to get you to rent your condo to me and Ziva?”_

“Abby…”

_“No. Don’t protest yet, Timmy. I know how secure your place is. All the cameras and gates and stuff. I thought it would be best for Ziva. It might make Mossad take a second look at getting her at home. Might make her feel safer too.”_

“I’m not saying no yet, Abs.” Tim chuckled as he stirred a pot on the stove. “I do have one important question that might muck up your plan.”

_“What’s that?”_

“If you and Ziva are living here, where am I living?”

Silence echoed through the phone. Tim could easily picture Abby’s slightly perturbed look as she realized that she hadn’t completely thought out the plan. _“Oh_.” He could hear the embarrassment in her voice when she finally spoke again. _“I… um… didn’t think of that._ ”

“I could tell.” Tim switched off burners and began pulling dishes from the cabinets. “Do you know yet when Ziva will be released?”

_“Not before the weekend.”_ Abby sighed. He could the exhaustion she’d been hiding under the forced cheer. _“We’re going to stay the weekend with Ducky. I just don’t want her to be alone.”_

“I know you don’t.” Tim picked up the phone and flipped off the speaker mode. He held it as he wandered through his condo. “And you’ve finally acknowledged that you don’t live in the best neighborhood. I get it, Abs. What’s Ziva think of this plan?”

_“She only worries about how it would affect you or me, but she’s scared. I can see it in her eyes, Tim.”_

“We’ve got time then.” Tim leaned back against the counter dividing his kitchen from the great room. He blindly stared at the dining table in front of him while he thought. “It’ll work out, Abby.”

_“I hope you’re right, Timmy. I’m worried about her.”_ There was a lengthy pause. Tim thought he could hear hospital sounds in the background. _“I’ve got to get back. Ziva doesn’t like me to be there when she’s having her psych sessions.”_

“Kay. Give her my good wishes.” Tim chuckled as Abby copied Gibbs and just hung up on him. A hard knock sounded on his door. Shaking his head, Tim set the phone aside and headed down the short hall to the front door. He flicked open the lock and bent to lift his cat from the floor as he opened the door. “Hey Boss.”

“I thought you had a dog, McGee.”

Tim chuckled as he let Gibbs enter. He absently scratched behind his cat’s ears and kicked the door shut. “No, Abby insisted I take in the drug dog from that case. The dog hated me and growled whenever I got near him. So, I made a couple of calls. A day or so later, he was with a friend of a friend who’d lost his own dog in combat and been medically discharged for his own injuries. They’re enjoying their mutual retirement or so I’ve been told.”

“A cat, Tim?” Gibbs strode past him to toss his coat on the sofa before holding up the six pack of beer he’d been carrying. “Isn’t that a bit clichéd?”

“Only if she was black.” Tim laughed and dropped the cat to the floor. “The night I got her, I thought she was black. Instead, she was completely covered in mud. Took a long time and a lot of scratches to get her cleaned up. I was surprised when she turned out to be that pretty shade of red instead.”

“You have a fluff ball of a cat instead of a dog.”

“Fuzzie’s a Maine Coon.” Tim jerked his head toward the kitchen. “My vet thinks she was the runt of her litter. She was abandoned as a kitten.”

“Fuzzie, Tim?” Gibbs’s disbelief was clear in his voice. He tucked the beer in the fridge before poking into the pans still sitting on the stove. “You named the cat Fuzzie?”

“No, I call her Fuzzie.” Tim chuckled as he handed a full plate to Gibbs and pointed to the silverware drawer. “Her full name is ‘Fuzzie Wuzzie Not a Bear.’” He caught sight of Gibbs expression and sighed. “She was named by a four year old.”

“I can see why you shorten it.” Gibbs grabbed one of the beers he’d brought and headed back out of the kitchen. Tim followed with his own meal and a bottle of soda. “So, what did you want to talk about?”

“To start with, I talked to Tony.” Tim settled across from Gibbs. He opened his soda and took a long drink. “He gets it. He won’t mention Kelly until you’re ready to hear about her.”

“Good.”

“I just talked to Abby. She’s making plans. Ziva is being released from the hospital this weekend.”

“And will go to Ducky’s.” Gibbs drank some of his beer. Tim clenched his hand on his fork watching the man swallow. “I know that bit. Ducky wants to keep an eye on her when she’s first released.”

“Yeah.” Tim ate for a bit while he tried to figure out how to lead into the most important topic of the night. Finally, he decided to put it off for a while so he could enjoy Gibbs’s company. If things went wrong, he wanted the memory of a quiet dinner with Gibbs to hold onto later. “The other thing, well, it’s not something to talk about over dinner.”

“You’re nervous.” Gibbs hand came across the table to briefly clasp his; his thumb stroked over Tim’s inner wrist. Tim shivered and moaned softly at the touch. “And I was right. There’s something there. I thought I saw a hint of a scar the other night. Now, I feel them.”

Tim had to swallow a couple of times before he could actually talk coherently. “Remember back when we first met? How Tony teased me about needing to have a tattoo in order to date Abby?”

“How could I forget?” Gibbs laughed and released his arm. “The first time you made Tony speechless was when you told him you have a tat on…”

“Just realized there’s not one on my ass, didn’t you?” Tim laughed and toasted Gibbs with his soda bottle. “No, but I do have three. One on each wrist and one on my back.”

“Never seen them.” Gibbs frowned in thought. “I think I’d remember them if I had.”

“You won’t. Not unless the lighting’s right.” Tim set the bottle down and removed his watch. He held his hands out towards Gibbs. “If you look at the right angle, usually in bright light, you can see hints of the design in the scars from the inking. You’ll only see the full design under the right kind of lights. They’re ultraviolet tattoos. Abby hasn’t even seen them yet.”

“Abs hasn’t even gotten one of those. She says she doesn’t trust the inks.”

“When they first brought them out, there were problems.” Tim finished off his dinner. He shoved the plate a bit away and picked up his soda bottle again. He rolled it between his palms as he talked. “I researched a lot before I had them done. I trusted the artist as I’ve known him for years.” Tim looked over and smiled at Gibbs. “And I knew it was the best choice for the tattoos because of the placement and my job. This way I have them. I know what they represent. And I don’t have to worry about problems at work.”

“So they are significant in some way?”

“They were done as part of my final initiation as priest.” Tim smiled faintly as he remembered the events of that day and night. He took another drink before setting the bottle down and picking up his plate. He held a hand out for Gibbs’s empty plate. He headed for the kitchen with the plates. “It was done between the time I finished FLETC and started at Norfolk. Gave them time to heal before I started the job.”

“Explains why we never saw them.” Gibbs followed him into the kitchen. He tossed out his empty beer and retrieved another from the fridge. “You’re stalling Tim. Talk to me.”

“I…um…” Tim finished putting the last of the dishes in the dishwasher and closed the door. He bowed his head for a moment then turned to just barely smile at Gibbs. “Yeah, I am. Not sure how you’re going to take this, Jethro, but I really need to tell you. I don’t want to lie. Or have you think I am by not telling you.”

“So spit it out.”

“I need to go get something first.” Tim knew it would work best if he had a visual for Gibbs. “Meet me on the sofa.” 


	18. Chapter 18

**CHAPTER EIGHTEEN**

Of all the things he’d expected when Tim said he didn’t want to lie and needed to tell him something, he never would have expected to be handed a heavy silver picture frame. He looked from his lover to the frame, absently tilting it to consider the workmanship, before looking at the contents. It took a moment for what he was seeing to truly register on him as his eye was captured by the image of a black clad Tim sitting on a set of cream colored marble steps. After a moment, he registered the little girl – pale skin, strawberry-blonde curls and blue-green eyes – sitting in his lap. Her lacy dress almost the exact same color as the steps Tim sat on. “Tim? Who is this? When was this?”

“That was taken this past August at Arlington House after her fifth birthday party and we got the news that she’d been accepted into the Holton-Arms School despite her age.” Tim smiled softly as he looked down at the picture. He then took a deep breath before looking up at Gibbs. “That’s Bridget McGee. My extremely precocious daughter who inherited the best and worst of both her parents.”

Gibbs didn’t know what to say to that. Of all the things to confess, a child wasn’t something he’d have thought Tim would keep a secret from the team. Abby and Ducky would dote on her. Tony would spoil her. So, he just had to ask the obvious question. “Why don’t you talk about her?”

“She lives with her mother and stepfather in Bethesda. I’ve known Dana since we were students together at MIT. I actually introduced her to her husband.” Tim looked away to fiddle with the photo album he'd set on the nearby table. “We have an agreement. And I didn’t want to deal with Tony’s questions.”

“What sort of agreement?”

“If anything happens to Dana and Wilson, I’ll get full custody of Bridget. I also pay half of her tuition to her new school. It was all tied up nice and legal before I agreed to help them. They wanted kids. They’d tried but Dana...” Tim shrugged one shoulder. “Anyway, they came to me because Dana and I share some beliefs. Bridget was born the summer after we lost Kate. She’s actually named Bridget Caitlyn McGee.”

“Thank you for that. I know Kate wasn’t very nice to you at times.” Gibbs smiled and looked down at the photograph again. He could definitely see what the little girl inherited from Tim now that the relationship had been pointed out to him. She definitely had her father’s pout. “Your daughter is beautiful, Tim. Will our relationship be a problem with her mother?”

“Kate was Kate.” Tim snorted a laugh. “Personally, no. Dana won’t care but then she knows about my bisexuality.” Tim ducked his head and blushed faintly before looking up again. “She’ll worry about how Bridget will react because, as I said, she got the best and worst of both of us.”

“Meaning she’s both Talented and stubborn?”

“It’s more than that.” Tim looked away again then rose and paced the room until his cat tripped him. Gibbs watched as he picked up the cat and started petting it. “Bridget is Talented, stubborn, extremely intelligent - thus being in third grade at five - and depending on which doctor you speak to somewhere on the autism spectrum or not. It literally depends on who you talk to. She got her smarts from me and the social awkwardness from Dana.”

“And you’re very protective of her.”

“Yeah.” Tim turned back and dropped the cat. “I worry. I remember what it was like for me as a kid. I skipped a grade here and there then went to MIT at sixteen. She’s five. Her classmates are years older. So, I worry. Plus I worry what might happen if anything happens to her stepfather.”

That was a strange reason to worry over a child. Gibbs frowned as he sat the frame down on the table. “Why?”

“Dana thrives on routine and expectations. When Wilson was deployed, she almost had to be admitted to care because his not being there disrupted her routine. She teaches at Georgetown now while he works at the Pentagon. Cryptologist.” Tim dropped down onto the sofa again. “I saw how she fell apart before when it was just her. How’s she going to handle a highly intelligent child if anything happens to her husband?”

“We’ll cross that bridge when we come to it, if ever.”

“So, I worry about Bridget since I’ve been told by Wilson not to worry about Dana. That’s apparently his job.” Tim sighed tiredly. “I’m sorry I never told you or the team about her but I...” He paused and shoved a hand through his hair. “I really didn’t want to deal with the questions that admitting she existed would bring up”

“I understand, Tim.” Gibbs reached over and lightly smacked the back of Tim’s head. “I told you we’ll cross that bridge together when and if we come to it. But maybe next time she’s scheduled to spend time with you, I can meet her. Slowly introduce her to the team, see how she reacts.”

“That’s the best way, yeah.” Tim looked up through his lashes. “We’re waiting until she’s settled into school before I see her again.”

“Can you get her over the holidays? Thanksgiving or Christmas?”

“When we aren’t on call, she’s with me for Christmas. Thus the cat.” Tim laughed and pulled the album into his lap. He flipped pages then set it between them. Gibbs looked down and had to laugh at the image of a mud covered kitten in the arms of a pouting toddler. “I got pouted at when she found her in the bushes at the park. I ended up with the cat as she couldn’t take it home with her. I always took time off to be sure I could have her. If not me, she’s with my grandmother for Christmas. That’s the other complicated bit of this parenting agreement.”

“We’ll make sure we have some time off over Christmas.” Gibbs was already mentally planning how to be certain the team had off for Christmas. Vance owed that to them. As the only all single, unmarried team in the office, they’d always covered the big family holidays of Thanksgiving and Christmas. Vance was a father; he’d understand why Gibbs wanted the time off if he presented it just right. “We can ask my father to come down for the weekend around Christmas.”

“Thanks, Jethro. If I can get a picture or two of your father, it’ll help her get used to the idea of meeting him.” Tim shifted things around until there was sufficient space for him to scoot close and lean on Gibbs. “That’s her big difficulty. Meeting new people. And you think I can do geek ramble...”

“Maybe…” Gibbs broke off as he spoke. He really wasn’t certain about this offer but his gut said it was the right one to make and he always listened to his gut. “We could redo Kelly’s room for her.”

“I...” Tim blinked and bit his lip. “Only if you want to. Truly want to. Not because you want to please me.”

“If I believe you and Tony, and neither of you have every lied to me about important stuff, then Kelly is a grown woman now and lives in the Court of Gwyn ap Nudd. I think she’d be happy to let her room go to another little girl.”

“She’s already managing Tony. It’s not what Kelly would want that concerns me.” Tim chuckled as he turned toward Gibbs. After a moment’s consideration, Tim straddled his lap. Gibbs automatically wrapped his arms around the younger man’s waist. “It’s what makes you happy that does. If you want to do this, then we will. But only if you want to.” Tim tilted his head, started to speak, and then just as quickly shut up.

“Tell me, Tim.”

“I told myself I wouldn’t be like your exes. I’ve waited patiently for years for to have this relationship.” Tim’s hands came to rest on his neck. Gibbs hummed softly as Tim’s fingers stroked along his nape. “But I really want to say something pushy and demanding right now.”

“Go ahead.”

“If you’re giving my daughter a room in your house, does that mean my cat and I get to move in too? Drag you into the twenty-first century?”

“I assumed you would. We’ll need to redo the master bedroom too. Shannon would smack us both if we let Bridget be alone upstairs.” Gibbs fell silent as he struggled to find the words he needed to say to Tim. “Tim… about Shannon… You and her…” He broke off, still hunting words; he knew what he needed to say but not exactly how to say it. “It’s different. She was the love of my youth, my first love, and you are my last one.”

“I know, Jethro.” Tim leaned close to him. Gibbs first thought was that he was going to be kissed after that declaration. Instead, Tim rested his head on his shoulder. “Shannon… someday, when I’m certain you’re ready, I’ll tell you what I know about Shannon.”

“Sometimes,” Gibbs spoke cautiously. He wasn’t sure how Tim would respond to this but he also knew the younger man would understand. “When I’m alone in the house, I talk to her.”

“I’m certain you do. That house echoes with her and Kelly’s presence.”

“Yes.” Gibbs nodded his agreement. “And those memories will be here always, but it’s time to move on.”

“As long as you want to, Jethro.” Tim lifted his head and smiled at him. “Then I’ll help as much as I can.”

“I’ll hold you to that.”

“Promise, Jethro.” Tim suddenly laughed. “And now I can make Abby happy.”

“Excuse me?” Gibbs tightened his hold on Tim’s waist while giving him one of his sterner glares even though he could tell from Tim’s eyes that his lover knew he didn’t mean it.

Tim threw his head back laughing. Gibbs stifled the urge to nibble on the young man’s neck. “Abby called me while I was waiting on you to arrive tonight. She tried to talk me out of the condo. Two bedrooms, two private baths.” He grinned as he shifted a bit in Gibbs’s lap. “I bought the place after the Rock Hollow case because it’s got better security. She wants to rent it from me for her and Ziva to live in once Ziva’s able to leave Ducky’s care.”

“Actually,” Gibbs mused as he thought over Abby’s plan. “That’s a really good idea. We can make sure Ziva’s under wraps while she finishes recovering.”

“I hadn’t thought of that. I guess we’ll need to recruit Tony and Ducky. Get them to help pack up my personal things here.” Tim’s eyes went a bit unfocused as he started to think. It really amused Gibbs’s to watch the way Tim thought things over sometimes. Then, Tim shook his head. “Well, I guess our secrets will get out quickly. Are you going to tell Vance about us?”

“Yes. It’s better that he know upfront.” Gibbs stroked his thumbs in the hollows of Tim’s hips. “Explain we’re keeping it quiet except for our immediate friends until we’re ready.”

“Okay. I…” Tim paused again. Gibbs watched as he bit his lower lip. Damn, if that wasn’t tempting him. “I should tell him about Bridget, too, shouldn’t I?”

“Yep. You need to go to HR too. Get your life insurance and pension straightened out.”

“I hate thinking about it.” Tim suddenly chuckled darkly. Gibbs raised a brow at him. “You know, if Tony was here. He’d be laughing at us. I’m sitting in your lap and instead of making moves we’re talking about work.”

“Well, then…” Gibbs slid one hand around Tim’s back and up into his hair. He tugged enough to pull his lover’s head back. He nuzzled against his neck before biting his collarbone. “We can’t let Tony make fun of us, can we?”


	19. Chapter 19

**CHAPTER NINETEEN**

Gibbs didn’t know what he hated more – cold cases or waiting for Vance to not be in meetings on the hill – he did know that he liked the quiet that came from Tony dropping the frat boy antics. He watched as Tony rolled across the bullpen with a file in his hand. Tim hastily covering up the paperwork Gibbs had dumped on his desk that morning. Gibbs shook his head as he watched them. If he’d not gotten the paperwork for him, he was certain that Tim would have put it off.

The bing of the elevator caught his attention. He looked up at the mezzanine in time to see Vance stride along it toward his office. Good, he was back.

“McGee!” Gibbs grabbed his coffee and started for the stairs. “With me.”

“Uh… Boss?”

“Now, McGee.” Gibbs didn’t break stride as he glared down at Tim.

“On it, Boss.”

Gibbs listened as Tim hastily slammed a drawer in his desk before following him up the stairs. He paused in the outer office, more to allow Tim to catch up with him then to ask admittance to the office. He glanced over his shoulder at Tim before opening the door and striding right into the office. “Need to talk, Leon.”

“And not about Miss David, I take it…” Vance stared for a moment before sighing and setting his briefcase down on his desk. He waved a hand toward the conference table in the room. “Grab a seat. This isn’t a discipline issue is it?”

“Personal.”

“Personal.” Gibbs watched as Vance looked from him to Tim and back again. Before either of them could say anything, Vance frowned and tapped a finger on the table. “I can’t convince you to not tell me anything until next Wednesday?”

“Next Wednesday, sir?” Gibbs heard the disbelief in Tim’s voice. He just settled for staring at the Director. “Why then? And how did you know what we were going to say?”

“I’d win the office pool then.” Vance laughed lightly and nodded to them. “As to how I know, I saw the medical reports from when you all were checked out in the Middle East and then the more recent ones from Bethesda. Easy to figure out something happened in between. And we’ve all seen how you two look at each other.”

“Awful calm, Leon.” Gibbs wasn’t about to show the other man how much his reaction stunned him.

“I worked the West Coast for years, Gibbs.” Vance leaned back in his chair. Gibbs watched him watch them for several silent moments before he spoke again. “When Jackie and I first came out here, I was shocked by how conservative this office was compared to out there. We had several agents in relationships, both in and out of the office. None of them flaunted their preferences but they didn’t hide them either. Some of my best field teams were partners in and out of the office.”

“And…” Gibbs trailed off for a moment. “I know what the policy is. I’m not letting you break up my team again.”

“Keep it out of the office and I won’t have to.” Vance smiled at them. “I don’t care who or what my agents do in the bedroom as long as all parties are of age and it’s consensual. If this starts causing problems for your team, we’ll have to revisit things but until then…”

“Understood, sir.” Tim interrupted before Gibbs could speak. Gibbs wondered about the smile which was shared between the Director and his lover. Apparently, the support from the Director also helped Tim’s nerves as he glanced over at Gibbs before focusing on Vance again. “There’s one other thing, sir.”

“Go ahead, Agent McGee.”

“I need to redo my insurance and retirement account forms.”

“That’s Human Resources, McGee, not my office.”

“True.” Tim nodded to Vance. “But you need to know the reason.”

“I take it my first assumption of it being because of this relationship would be wrong?” Vance considered Tim again before looking at Gibbs. Gibbs just smirked and kept his attention on Tim. “So that is?”

“The new beneficiary will be my daughter, Bridget.” Tim smiled across the table at him. “Jethro will be her legal guardian should anything happen to me.”

“Daughter?” Vance’s jaw dropped in surprise. Gibbs had to look away to hide his smile at the sight of the Director’s shocked expression. “Yes, that is something I would need to know.”

“She lives with her mother and stepfather. The situation is complicated so I haven’t discussed it before.”

“All right.” Vance nodded. Gibbs could see him trying to reconcile this new information with what he already knew of Tim McGee. “Make sure everyone who needs to know knows. If you ever need to go into protection for any reason, she might also need to be protected.”

“Will do.” Gibbs gave Tim a nod. He watched as the young man rose to his feet and started for the door. As his hand turned the knob, Tim turned back to them. “And sir, thank you.”

“Not a problem, Agent McGee.”

Gibbs waited for Tim to leave before he turned back to Vance. “I didn’t know you took part in the office pool. We’re keeping things to just those closest to us for a while.”

“You know how scuttlebutt is, Gibbs.” Vance rose to his feet. He grabbed a glass off the bar in the corner and filled it with water before handing it to Gibbs. Gibbs took a sip while watching the Director. “It’ll be an open secret in the building that you’re involved with McGee by lunchtime.”

“I hate scuttlebutt.”

“But it has its uses.” Vance sipped at his own glass of water. He turned back to him with a faint smile. “With Miss David in the hospital, I’m going to take your team out of the rotation for a while. You can work on cold cases. We’ll let the scuttlebutt make the rounds see if there will be any problems before putting you on active cases again.” Vance toasted him with his glass. “Should I expect a change of address from one of you soon?”

“McGee. He’ll be moving in with me while Ziva and Abs move into his place.” Gibbs tossed back his water and set the glass down with a click. “You expecting a problem, Leon?”

“Expecting no, but I want to be ready if there is.” Vance set his own glass down beside him. “If a case comes in which is best suited to your team, I’ll call you but for now work cold cases until we’ve seen how things fall out and if Miss David will indeed be returning.”

Gibbs nodded and rose to his feet. He left the office and strode past Vance’s grinning assistant. He knew just from her look that the scuttlebutt was already making the rounds. Shaking his head slightly, he left the Director’s office and headed out onto the mezzanine. He leaned on the railing and stared down into the bullpen. He watched as Tim accepted a folder from Tony, skimming the contents before pointing at something. Tony nodded and the two of them were soon engrossed in the folder’s paperwork.

Gibbs gaze went over the rest of the agents on the floor below. He could see who was busy and who was gossiping. He noted a couple of glares in Tim’s general direction but nothing that concerned him as yet. He watched as his fellow MCRT leader, Balboa, climbed the stairs to stand beside him.

“Heard a rumor.”

“Never paid much attention to scuttlebutt.”

“Yeah, but you might be interested in this one.” Balboa rested his arm on the railing beside Gibbs. “I’ve heard that you’ve finally stopped chasing redheads for a blonde.”

Gibbs chuckled lightly and turned to face his fellow agent. “Never known you to beat around the bush, Balboa.”

“Fine.” Balboa tilted his head toward the area below the stairs. “Are you fucking McGee?”

“And that’s your business…?”

“Only if it screws up in the field.” Balboa shook his head with a sigh. “I’m just glad you’re done finding ex-wives. They cause problems. McGee’s settled. He’d be good for you, if you are together.”

Gibbs considered how to answer. He really wanted to keep things quiet for a while but he knew the scuttlebutt would all but ruin that idea. He looked down into the bullpen again rather than answer. Balboa’s hand clapped on his shoulder.

“No worries. We’ll find out the official version eventually.” Balboa patted his back again then headed down the mezzanine toward MTAC. He paused by the eye scanner to smile at him. “My team’s got your back, Gibbs. You and your team. No worries about us.”

“Thanks, Balboa.” Gibbs nodded once and headed down the stairs. He moved past Tony’s desk. He needed to think and there was one thing which would help that. “Going for coffee.”


	20. Chapter 20

**CHAPTER TWENTY**

The next few days were a combination of boring as hell and unexpectedly exciting. With Tony no longer behaving like an overgrown teenager with the attention span of a gnat, they’d managed to put to bed three cold cases and find significant clues in two more turning them from cold to hot again. Friday afternoon he’d taken off early in order to get Fuzzie to the vet. She was old enough and big enough now to be spayed, something Tim had decided all along to do. So, Fuzzie would be spending the night at the vet, be spayed on Saturday and he could pick her up again that evening and take her over to their new home at Gibbs’s place. Idly, he wondered how Gibbs would handle living with a feline.

Now, for the first time in all the years he’d known her, Abby arrived exactly on time with Ziva and Ducky in tow. Tim stood awkwardly in the doorway watching Ziva before Abby’s hard smack to his stomach had him stumbling out of the way. “Ziva, I…”

“I have been told it is my job to supervise.” Ziva smiled at him as she followed Abby into the apartment. “Abby says I am to sit and yell at you whenever you get distracted.”

Tim nodded to Ducky and Abby, closed the door and followed them into the living room. “How are you, Ziva?”

“I am fine, McGee.” She looked at him. Her expression clearly said ‘please believe me’ and Tim nodded in response. “And happy for you and Gibbs.”

“Thank you.” Tim leaned on the counter which divided the great room from the kitchen. He watched Ziva settle on the sofa and look around the room. “Tony and Jethro took the few pieces of furniture I’m moving, my computers, and all of my boxed up books over to Jethro’s house. They’re not back yet.”

“I see.” Tim watched as Ziva relaxed into his sofa at his words. She was still jumpy. He knew that would take a while to change; however, he also knew there were still things outstanding which she and Tony needed to discuss. “So, what am I supposed to supervise?”

“The rest of the packing.” Tim chuckled lightly. He absently picked up a picture of the team from the counter and held it in his hands. “Probably make sure Tony doesn’t get too distracted by the chance to snoop into my personal life. There’s still some small things – pictures and knick knacks mostly – that need to be packed up.”

“I could help.” Ziva looked up at him. She looked tired but determined. “I can sit, wrap and pack boxes if you’ll bring me things.”

“I can do that.” Tim watched as Abby set up a box beside Ziva. A stack of tissue paper was set beside her. “Just so long as you promise to tell me if you start hurting or get tired. Agreed?”

“Agreed.” She smiled broadly at him, a hint of the old Ziva in her eyes. “I am not an invalid.”

“But you are hurt.” Tim brought her the framed pictures off the counter and stacked them up on the other side of her. “I worry about you, Ziva. You’re as important to me as Sarah is.”

The broad smile he received for those words eased any remaining fears he had over his and Ziva’s relationship. It would take time for her to relax, to go back to teasing him again, but he knew that she knew just how much she meant to him. She was another sister, perhaps even more important than Sarah in the great scheme of things because she was one he chose for himself.

He set Abby to packing up his bathroom and his clothes. Considering their former relationship, he knew he’d not get any comments out of her over anything she found. He and Ducky focused on the great room and kitchen. They brought things to Ziva with just enough speed for her to keep up but not too fast and cause her to tire.

Time passed in idle conversation. Tim was just debating what to fix or order for lunch when he heard the door open. He watched Ziva stiffen up. Her hand slipped beneath her leg. He knew then that she had some kind of weapon concealed close at hand. He didn’t comment, just went to the foyer and smiled at Tony and Gibbs coming in with bags from their favorite deli.

“Brought lunch, Tim.” Tony lifted the bags higher. “Hope you haven’t packed the dishes yet.”

“Nope. I’m actually leaving those for our ladies.” Tim took the bag from Gibbs in exchange for a brief kiss. “Abby doesn’t have many and…”

“And I’ve got enough to last until we can shop for a decent matched set.” Gibbs headed for the kitchen. “You do have coffee, right.”

“Yup.” Tim jerked his head to get Tony to follow him into the great room. “Cups over the maker, Jethro.” He led the way over and set the bags down. He watched Tony come to join him though it was clear the bulk of Tony’s attention was on Ziva.

“Z…” Tony set the bags down on the table. He grabbed a chair and turned it around. He then straddled the chair and crossed his arms on the back. “It’s good to see you. You look well.”

“I do not.” Ziva tucked the item she was holding into the box beside her. “I still look like something a cat dragged in.”

“I wasn’t going to say that.” Tony laughed lightly but nodded. “Speaking of cats, have you met Fuzzie yet? Not even full grown but she probably could drag you.”

“Fuzzie?” Ziva’s disbelief was audible in her tone. “What is this… Fuzzie?”

“Fuzzie is my cat.” Shaking his head, Tim reached out and smacked the back of Tony’s. He watched Ziva look intently around the room. “She’s spending the day at the vets.”

“I thought you were allergic to cats, McGee.”

“Apparently all of them but this one.” Tim started pulling containers out of the bags. “My doctor thinks it’s because she doesn’t really shed as much as most cats and there’s not as much dander.”

“A cat.” Ziva shook her head as she tried to get up. She hissed in pain and pressed a hand to her stomach. Tony was across the room and helping her before Tim could even decide what to do. Tim watched as she leaned on Tony. In the smile she gave Tony, Tim knew that even though they’d not spoken to each other yet they’d already forgiven and forgotten whatever had damaged their relationship before Somalia. “I can not picture you with a cat, McGee.”

Laughing, Tim left the meal preparations to Gibbs and Ducky. He headed into the den and grabbed one of the photo albums kept there. Flipping pages, he paused on his way back to call Abby out for lunch. With Abby craning over his shoulder, Tim found the picture he was looking for and set the album on the table. Prominently displayed for everyone was him in jeans and a cream colored cable knit sweater laying on the sofa with his red cat curled up on his chest. “Fuzzie and me.” Tim watched as they all crowded over the album. A couple of snickers drifted from Abby and Tony’s direction but it was the way Ziva’s fingers traced over the picture that made him smile.

“That is a very fuzzy cat. What kind is it?”

“Maine Coon.” Tim turned a page in the album to show just Fuzzie stretched out on the dividing counter. “She’s just over a year old now. Won’t actually reach her full growth until close to five.”

“I can’t wait to meet her.” Ziva closed the album and accepted the plate Ducky handed to her. “I have always wanted a cat.”

“If you’re meant to have one, one will find you.” Tim accepted his own plate from Jethro and sat down beside Ziva. “But I’ll keep an eye out for you. This place is good for cats and some small dogs but with our jobs…”

“A cat is better.”

Ziva slowly began to eat. Tim watched her and the team. It was a quiet meal mostly. Ziva didn’t eat much; her fingers kept edging toward the album. When he was certain she was finished, he slid the album over to her. “Go on. I know you want to. There aren’t any embarrassing pictures in it. Mostly just Fuzzie or Fuzzie and me.”

“I am curious, McGee.” Ziva looked up from the album with her eyebrows furrowed. “Why do you call her Fuzzie?”

“Everyone put down the drinks.” Gibbs gave the order before he could say a word. “I mean it, Tony, put it down.”

“Why?” Tony frowned but finally obeyed. “What’s the deal about the name?”

“Fuzzie’s what I call her.” Tim shook his head with a soft laugh. “It’s not her full name. She’s actually named Fuzzie Wuzzie Not a Bear.”

Tim watched as everyone at the table stared at him before sputtering with laughter. Gibbs just smiled across the table at him. Gibbs tilted his head toward Ziva; Tim turned to look and couldn’t help but grin back at his lover. Ziva, for the first time since they’d rescued her, was laughing softly.

The laughter seemed to signal the end of the meal. Tony handed his plate to Gibbs who started stacking plates while Abby gathered up the empty containers. Tony then circled the table and held his hands out to Ziva. Tim watched, holding his breath, as Ziva looked up at Tony then took his hands allowing him to help her up and back to the sofa. Yeah, the team was on its way back to normal.

They split up to get back to work. Gibbs toted sealed boxes down to his truck while Tony took on the job of packing up the last of the things in the den. Tim finished the living room with Ducky and Ziva’s help while Abby finished up in his bedroom. Gibbs had just returned from his most recent trip down to the condo’s garage and decided on a coffee break when Tony’s outraged voice echoed from the den.

“What the hell?” Tony’s head appeared around the door frame. His head was soon followed by the rest of him. In his hands, he carried an unframed stretched canvas. “You’ve been holding out on us, Probie? Where’s the McSpawn?”

“With her mother and stepfather, Tony.” Tim pulled out a twenty and handed it over his shoulder to Gibbs. He never should have made that bet. He’d known that Tony would demand answers as soon as he saw any of the pictures. “It’s a long and complicated story.”

“Then I guess we all better sit down.” Tony propped the portrait on one of the dining chairs before sprawling in the one next to it. “Start talking, Tim.”


	21. Chapter 21

**CHAPTER TWENTY-ONE**

Tim looked at every member of the team now gathered in his great room. Abby and Ziva shared the sofa; Abby almost vibrated with excitement. Ducky had claimed the armchair opposite him and leaned forward with an air of expectation. Tony sat beside the portrait in that casual sprawl which so unnerved so many of the suspects he interrogated while Gibbs still stood behind him sipping coffee. He stared at his lover, desperate for an escape from the explanation only to have the other man smile annoyingly at him. Gibbs toasted him with his coffee cup.

“If you didn’t want to answer the questions, you would have packed up the portrait and sent it home with me earlier.” Gibbs set the mug beside him on the counter. “So, talk McGee.”

“You’re earning that ‘second b is for bastard’ designation.” Tim chuckled lightly before dropping to sit on the floor. “But you’re right. I could have hidden it or taken it over to your place before now.” He looked at the rest of the team. “I’m not even sure how to start explaining.”

“At the usual place, Timothy.”

“Even that’s complicated.” Tim nodded and leaned back enough to look up at Gibbs for a moment. Then he looked at the rest of them again. “Her name’s Bridget Caitlyn McGee. She was born the August after we lost Kate.” Tim ducked his head for a moment before looking up again. “She lives with her mother and stepfather. Both of them are old friends of mine from MIT.” Tim blinked as a bottle of water appeared in front of him. He cracked it and took a long drink before continuing on. “I met Dana, her mother, my first semester there and later dated Wilson, her stepfather. I actually introduced Wilson and Dana to each other and was best man at their wedding.”

“And?” Tony lightly kicked him in the knee. “That doesn’t explain why you hide her from us. You’re keeping me from my chances at spoilage, Probie.”

Unable to help himself, Tim laughed at the mock whine in Tony’s complaint. He took another drink but nodded an acknowledgment. “A very long story short, Dana and Wilson had been trying for years to have a child. I don’t know exactly why they never did but finally Dana came to me and asked if I’d help them out.”

“Why you, McGee?”

Tim glanced over at Ziva who was frowning at him. “Dana and I share some beliefs though our focus is quite different. That’s a different story.” Tim held up a hand to stop any questions. “Anyway, I talked with them both for over a month before I even tentatively agreed to help. I wanted everything set out in writing in advance right down to a legal parenting agreement. I refused to give up my parental rights to the future child and wanted to be given full legal custody if anything happened to Wilson and Dana.”

Tim paused for breath. The arguments related to those legal agreements still stung five years later but he wasn’t going to lose contact with his child for any reason. “In the end, it was all written up, nice and tightly legal, and filed with the state. Then Dana had Bridget and things got complicated again.”

“It usually does when it comes to children.”

“So, I’ve learned Ducky.” Tim frowned a bit as it felt like Ducky was stating the obvious. He debated what to say before finally just taking another drink and spitting it out. “After a lot of frustrating and expensive testing, Bridget has been diagnosed as type three hyperlexic with autistic traits.”

“Can it be treated, McGee?”

“It usually disappears as a child ages, Ziva.”

“Some of it is disappearing, some isn’t.” Tim looked up from his water and smiled at Ducky. “Bridget is extremely intelligent. She takes after me in that regard. She’s smart enough that she entered the third grade just before we went to Somalia.” Tim chuckled softly at the memory of her excitement at the news she’d gotten into the private school. “She loves to learn, but has some problems with meeting new people and new situations. So, Dana, Wilson and I are waiting until she’s settled in with her new routine before I see her again. That’s Wilson’s demand. Whenever something big changes, we wait until Bridget and Dana have settled into the resulting new routine before I see her.” He smiled for a moment. “I will have her over Christmas.”

“Since there are a couple of months between now and then, you may as well know that we’re going to be redoing my house.” A hand came down onto his shoulder and squeezed once. Tim leaned back against Gibbs legs. He reached up and squeezed that hand back. “Gonna start with Kelly’s room for Bridget.”

“Gonna come out of the stone age, Boss?” Tony’s lighthearted tease seemed a heavy warning to Tim. He looked over at him but saw his friend staring up at Gibbs. “Tim will go through withdrawal without the internet.”

Tim glanced between the two men in time to catch Gibbs’s barely there nod to Tony. Those two were up to something. What, he didn’t know, but he would find out. He laughed lightly and shook his head. “I’ve already got plans. We just need to figure out the best way to run the additional wiring. I’m not damaging that house. It’s so rare to find a Craftsman home in such good shape.”

“I have a friend who specializes in updating and upgrading vintage homes.” Tony waved his phone between them. “Say the word and I’ll make a call.”

“Tony…” Tim started and then stopped when Gibbs tightened his hand on his shoulder again. “Thanks, Tony.”

“That who I think it is, DiNozzo?”

“Yup.” Tony nodded with a wide grin. “Workout buddy from the BAU. He says flipping homes is relaxing. They’re even in town this week.”

“Call him. Upgrading old wiring isn’t something I learned.” Gibbs wandered off to grab his mug. He spoke over his shoulder as he went for the kitchen. “But he damages my woodwork, I damage him.”

“On it, Boss.” Tim watched Tony bounce to his feet. The man walked across the room and out onto the condo’s balcony. Tim knew there was more to the call then just arranging a time for Tony’s friend to see the house when Tony slid the balcony door closed behind him.

“When do we get to meet her, Timmy?” Abby bounced a couple of times on the sofa until a softly hissed breath from Ziva caused her to still with a whispered apology. “Tony’s right. You cheated us out of spoiling her.”

“It’ll be a while, Abs.” Tim looked down at the floor and picked at the bottle. “I want her to meet Jethro first.”

“Timothy.” Tim looked up and watched as Ducky leaned toward him. Despite the many people in the condo, it felt like it was just him and Ducky talking to each other. “Will your new relationship be a problem with your daughter or her parents?”

“With Dana, no.” Tim bit his lip hard as he thought how to put his worries. “I don’t know about Bridget. I’ve not really been involved with anyone since she was born. I dated but not serious. Not like this with Jethro.”

“And her stepfather…?”

“I’m hoping not. Wilson was my first male lover back when we were students together. And I introduced him to Dana who he left me for, but…”

“But what, Timothy?”

“He joined the Navy when we all graduated. He’s now a cryptographer at the Pentagon.” Tim frowned as he bowed his head. “He’s changed since he joined the service. So, I don’t know what he’ll think. I’m just hoping he won’t be a problem.”

“Why didn’t you tell me, Tim?”

Tim twisted about to look up at Gibbs. He reached up and took Gibbs’s coffee and took a long drink before handing it back. He ignored the giggles from Abby and Ziva as he smiled up at his lover. “I knew you’d worry about it.” He shrugged one shoulder. “I didn’t want you to use this as a reason to leave me.”

“Remember what I told you, Tim.” Gibbs crouched down beside him. His hand stroked over his cheek. Tim leaned into the touch with a soft hum. “I told you when I brought you onto my team. I told you again a week ago. I’m fairly certain I mentioned it the other night too. You’re mine. Got it?”

“Yeah.” Tim leaned forward to claim a kiss from Gibbs. He could hear soft squeals from Abby and Ziva giggling but it was Tony’s ‘Must you do that!’ which broke them apart. “I got it.”

“That’s my little brother you’re smooching, dammit!”

“But it’s so hot.” Abby giggled more. Tim looked over Gibbs’s shoulder to see her and Ziva watching him and Gibbs with intent looks. “Do it again, Timmy!”

“Abby!” Tim couldn’t help himself. He shook his head and fell backwards onto the floor while laughing at Abby’s impish grin.

“You’re gonna see a lot of it outside of work, DiNozzo.” Gibbs tilted his coffee in Tony’s general direction before grabbing Tim’s hand. Tim allowed himself to be pulled to his feet. “So get used to it.”

Tim took the coffee mug and drank again while watching the team. Nowhere was there any upset over him and Gibbs being together. A lot of laughter and teasing but no anger or upset. Tim felt himself relaxing as one weight lifted off him. He smiled at them all and shook his head again. “We need to finish up if we want to get this done in one day.”

“On it, Probie.” Tony wandered over and grabbed the portrait. “First, this is going in my car. I know a place where it’ll be perfectly framed.” As Tony passed him, a hand came out and smacked the back of his head. “That’s for worrying and for not telling us. You need to talk to Ziva. I think she’s the only one who doesn’t know.”

“I know.” Tim looked over at Ziva and nodded to Tony. “I’ll take care of that soon.”


	22. Chapter 22

**CHAPTER TWENTY-TWO**

It didn’t take long to finish packing up the condo. Tim watched as the last of his things were carted downstairs. Then Gibbs and Tony drove off headed for Gibbs’s house and unloading the truck. Tim watched Abby gather her things but when Ziva started to join her, he reached out and gently touched her arm. “Ziva?”

“Yes, McGee?”

“Can I give you a ride to Ducky’s?” Tim chuckled at the amused looks he was given. “Okay, fine, I want to talk to you and figured the drive back would be the easiest way.”

“Better, Timmy.” Abby kissed his cheek and bounced out the door. “I have some shopping to do!”

Tim shook his head at Abby’s antics. Seems when it came to his former lover’s reaction that he had a child, he’d worried over nothing. Hopefully, Abby wouldn’t go too overboard. He held his arm out to Ziva. “This okay?”

“It is.”

Ziva tucked her hand into his arm and handed him the small bag she’d brought with her. He pretended not to see her tucking a pistol into her belt. He retrieved his own weapon, locked the condo, and led her down to where the Porsche was parked. Tim held the door for her and waited until she was settled before closing it. Circling the car, he climbed in and started it up. They drove in silence for a while before Ziva broke the silence.

“Are you going to tell me you don’t want me near your child because I was an assassin?”

“Ziva! No!” Tim glanced at her before pulling the car off the road and into a small park he knew well. He twisted in the seat and stared at her in shock. “I’d never do that to you. I’m hoping that Doda Ziva will teach Bridget how to kill someone eighteen different ways with a paperclip.” He paused and laughed softly. “Well, maybe not that but definitely how to throw a knife and other ways to defend herself. Teach her what no one taught me so she isn’t a victim of bullying.”

“I thought that would be the reason for the private talk.” Ziva smiled across the car at him. Backlit by the sunlight drifting through the trees there was something otherworldly about Ziva in that moment. A shiver raced through Tim as he watched her watch him. “You would not have been the first to make that request of me.”

“What kind of friend would I be if I told you I didn’t want you near my child?”

“A protective father.” Ziva reached over and squeezed his wrist. “I am Mossad. I am an assassin. There are many who don’t want someone like me near a vulnerable child.”

“Then they are idiots.” Tim snarled the words. “You’re one of the strongest women I know. I’m not about to deny my daughter a strong female role model.” He held up a finger between them. “I know of very few women who could go through all you have in life and not turn bitter and withdrawn. That’s where your strength lies, Ziva. Don’t let anyone tell you otherwise.”

“If it was not that, then why the private discussion, McGee?”

“Are you every going to call me Tim?” Tim complained before turning and starting the car again. He pulled out of the park and back into traffic. “As I understand it, from Tony and Gibbs, you did dossiers on all of us back when Ari was stalking the team.”

“I did.” Ziva gave him a confused look. “I do not understand what that has to do with the conversation, McGee. There was nothing about your daughter in them.”

“There wouldn’t be. She was born a few months after those events. Do you remember what you discovered about my religious preferences?”

“You were raised Catholic.” Ziva leaned her head back. Her eyes closed as she thought. “If I remember it all correctly, you left the Catholic church when you left home to go to school at sixteen. Since then your official records state ‘other’ for religion but I was able to find out that you seem to believe in Wicca, I think it was called.”

“Part of the reason my father doesn’t talk to me anymore actually.” Tim nodded as he watched the road closely. “I’m actually a Pagan. I don’t follow the exact tenets of Wicca though I was also initiated in one of the Wiccan traditions. More an ancient Celt than anything else.” Tim paused for a moment as they stopped at a light. He drew in a deep steadying breath and let it out slowly. “I’ve decided to stop hiding my beliefs, Ziva, so I wanted to tell you. Tony and Gibbs already know much of this.”

He felt Ziva’s stare. He spared a moment to glance over at her as the light changed. She had that puzzled expression where she was putting together puzzle pieces but wasn’t quite certain of the conclusion she’d reached. Tim pulled the Porsche through the light and around the corner before he continued to explain. “While you were in the hospital, Abby and Tony asked me to speak to my Patron deity on your behalf. I’ve called the _Cŵn Annwn_ on your father, Ziva. You’re my sister and he broke all faith with you.”

“McGee!” Ziva gasped his name. “I do not deserve…”

“You do.” Tim pulled the car into Ducky’s driveway and reached over to lightly clasp her wrist for a moment. “A child – the opportunity to raise and mold a new person – is a sacred trust. One of the oldest of bonds in the world is that of parent and child. Eli David broke that trust. First with Ari, then with you. Perhaps even before that with your sister. All for personal gain.”

“And what will this request cost you, McGee?”

“Noth…”

“Do not tell me nothing!” She harshly bit off each word. “There is always a cost.”

“Not for this. Not for me.” Tim climbed out of the car and circled it to open her door. He crouched down beside the car seat and looked up at her. “I am not only priest, Ziva. I am also the Master of the Hunt. It’s my job, my duty, to help maintain the balance in the world. My Lord has asked nothing of me I haven’t already willingly offered him.”

“McGee…” Ziva turned slowly toward him. To his immense surprise, she reached out and cupped his cheek. Then, she did something even more shocking to him, she used his name. “Tim. I am not worthy of what you have done. I’ve done things which I know were wrong just because my father ordered me to do them. I was ready to die there, Tim, because it was no more than I deserved. I lost faith. I broke our team. And you all…”

“You’re part of the family, Ziva.” Tim covered her hand with his. He held it as he rose to his feet and offered her the other one to help her out of his low-slung sports car. “To Tony, Abby and me, you’re a sister of our hearts. To Gibbs, you’re his tomboy oldest daughter who took after Daddy and became a warrior. To Ducky, you’re the granddaughter he never actually had.” Tim frowned just a bit. “I’m not sure what you are to Jimmy. He’s kind of the oddball cousin you’re never quite sure what to make of.”

“But he’s one of us.” A soft laugh escaped Ziva. She pressed her hand to her side but that was the only sign of any pain. Tim wrapped an arm around her and led her to Ducky’s door where the doctor himself waited for her. She stretched up and kissed his cheek. “Thank you, Tim, for the trust. Would you… would you tell Tony I need to speak to him? He and I… we have much to talk about before I return to the team.”

“Consider it done.” Tim watched her slip into the house past Ducky before looking down at the medical examiner. “Ducky?”

“Exact diagnosis, please.” Ducky gave him a hard stern look. “Did you think I wouldn’t hear what you said by the car? It’s a quiet day, Timothy. Now, I want to read up on my great-granddaughter’s condition so what’s her exact diagnosis.”

“Type three hyperlexia with autistic traits.” Tim pulled out his notepad and wrote it down for the older man. “That’s what was settled on as it best fits her behavior and symptoms. She has some autistic behaviors which I tend to think are learned behaviors from her mother. Bridget tests very high on the Wexler Intelligence tests but hasn’t officially been classified as a genius as she’s so young.”

“Unlike her father.”

“I should have known you’d know.” Tim chuckled as he handed the piece of paper over and tucked the notebook away again. “I wasn’t officially classified until I was sixteen and took the adult test. I scored even higher on that one than the one for children which is when my designation was formalized. I don’t like to talk about it. I was teased enough as a child for being intelligent and a geek. I never want to hear the term ‘nerd’ again. Nor do I want it applied to Bridget.”

“A good plan, Timothy.” Ducky patted his arm and smiled. “You’re a good father. Now, I shall tend to Ziva, rein in Abigail and do my research. You go turn that house back into a home again.”


	23. Chapter 23

**CHAPTER TWENTY-THREE**

Gibbs stood in the archway between his living room and his dining room watching everyone gathered in said living room. In the two weeks since Tim moved in, they’d gradually begun to remove or replace things accumulated through three failed marriages. He still marveled over Tim’s easy acceptance of remaining in the second floor guest room with its attached full bath rather than moving up into the master bedroom suite on the third floor. While he was comfortable with upgrading the house for him and Tim, as well as redoing Kelly’s room for Tim’s daughter, he wasn’t quite ready to deal with the master bedroom and the boxes and boxes of memories it contained. With each of his exes, that restriction, of not touching the master bedroom was one of the biggest reasons the marriages failed. Tim just accepted it with a faint smile and soft ‘when you’re ready, Jethro’. So, now his living room hosted his team with the addition of two members of the FBI’s Behavioral Analysis Unit.

Those two men couldn’t be more different. Derek Morgan was an African American version of Tony. He was a jock and proud of it but also an expert at navigating the complex world of permits and remodeling. He’d quickly gotten the house’s wiring and plumbing up to current codes and practices without major damage to a single wall. He’d even managed to run and conceal all the wiring Tim had insisted was necessary for installing cable and internet service. Morgan was currently mapping out ideas to remodel his kitchen since they’d removed the cabinets and appliances for the electrical and plumbing work.

Compared to Morgan, his partner was the ultimate geek. A skinny young man who looked barely out of college, Spencer Reid went into long rambles on topics Gibbs had never even heard of before. Often, the only way to stop him was to interrupt him. It was like having a younger version of Ducky around. In fact, the onetime Ducky and Reid started talking to each other; they actually put Ziva to sleep. From the way they’d then grinned, Gibbs was certain it was deliberate. Gibbs had noticed that Morgan was protective of Reid; often hovering over him until he was certain Gibbs’s team accepted him. They had right down to the girls defending him from Tony until Tony surrendered and started treating Reid much the same way he treated Tim.

However, it was Tim with Reid that fascinated him. When Reid would start one of his strange rambles around Tim, Tim would just continue with whatever he was working on until Reid paused for breath. Tim would then ask a question which would set Reid to talking again. Despite looking like he wasn’t paying any attention to Reid, Tim always knew exactly what the other agent had been talking about in detail. Gibbs made a mental note to ask Tim exactly how he did that.

As he watched, Morgan pointed at a set of paint swatches in his hand. Gibbs chuckled as Morgan insisted on period colors but from a modern standpoint while Ziva and Abby wanted something unique and girly. Tim was just leaning over Morgan’s shoulder, quietly whispering his choices to the agent who often nodded in response until finally Tim took a spare set of the paint colors from Morgan and headed toward him.

“Jethro.”

“Tim.” Gibbs jerked his head toward the dining room. “I take it some decisions have been made.”

“Morgan wants period colors. Something I definitely agree with as this is a beautiful arts and crafts house. It could be a showpiece one day.”

“Don’t want fancy, Tim.” Still he held a hand out to Tim for the samples. He laid them out on the table and chuckled as he tapped one wallpaper sample. “Where’s he suggesting that?”

“Bridget’s room.” Tim leaned over beside him. “Says it’s interesting enough for her but also the soft colors would be restful.”

“Before the living room was repainted that off white while I was on an undercover assignment, there was a wallpaper border just above the wainscoting. It was a berry and tree thing looked like something by Tiffany.” Gibbs looked back into the other room and chuckled. “What kind of sounds do you think we’d get from him if I told him the original lighting figures for the living and dining rooms along with the foyer are up in the attic?”

“You’ve got what?”

The shocked words from the archway caused Gibbs to share a smug smile with Tim. He looked over his shoulder at Morgan who stared back at him with a ‘you’ve been holding out on me’ look. “The original lighting fixtures are in the attic.” He pointed a finger at the ceiling. “Found’em yesterday when I took the last of Kelly’s things up there.”

“Jesus.” Morgan ran a hand over his skull. “And here I was worrying about finding the right reproductions.”

“I got lucky. My dad happened to come down to check on the house and rescued them from the trash when my first ex-wife redid the first floor.” Gibbs gave Morgan an almost sheepish look. “He put the boxes in the attic hidden among the unwanted wedding presents. I was going through those to see what to toss and stumbled across the fixtures.” He shook his head and pointed at the living room. “Under that bland white paint is the original wallpaper borders though I doubt you can do anything with them. Shannon, my first wife, loved this house. We bought it because it was slightly more than halfway between my primary duty station and her parent’s place. She’d stay here on long deployments rather than on base as she could get help from her mother.”

“No, but if I can get enough to see the pattern I can match it.”

Gibbs considered Morgan for a long silent moment. Tony trusted him. Tim liked him. And he knew his Tim; the man likely background checked Morgan the day after they’d met him. That he’d said nothing to Gibbs meant there were no problems in his background. He gave a single nod. “I can do you one better but I don’t want it to leave the house.”

“All right.”

Gibbs reached over Tim for the box he’d brought downstairs that morning. He reached in and pulled out a small album. He held it for a moment before finally offering it to Morgan. It was time to start sharing Shannon and Kelly with everyone. “Shannon took these the day we moved in. Said I might want them some day. There’s a couple of pictures of my daughter when she was a toddler in with them.”

“And if she loved the place, she took pictures of all the rooms.” Morgan looked up at the ceiling with a smile. “Mrs. Gibbs I think I love you.”

“Every room from every angle she could think of.”

“Oh my God.” Morgan stared at the album. Gibbs thought the man was in raptures. “Look at that living room. Stunning.”

Gibbs laughed. Everyone in said living room shut up and stared through the archway in shock. He nodded to the album. “Go a few pages later.” He watched as Morgan flipped pages and just stared down at them. “So, that a help?”

“Are you kidding?” Morgan stared at him as if he couldn’t believe Gibbs asked the question. “Tim, we need to make time to hit the showroom.”

Gibbs shook his head with another laugh. “We’ve been put out of the rotation this week since Ziva needs to do her final psych evals and we’re all, how was it put, ‘too distracted to be of use so take some time off.’ So, you can drag Tim off whenever you’re ready.”

“Hey Reid, look through these will you?”

“Why Reid?” Gibbs blinked at the change in subject even as the man in question came for the album. It was a bit disconcerting to see him flip pages so quickly before going back and starting over from the beginning.

“He has an eidetic memory.”

Gibbs turned to Tim with an arched eyebrow. “Photographic, Jethro. He’ll remember everything in every picture and be able to find the closest matches to things for Morgan.”

“Right.” Gibbs watched Reid flipping pages in the album. “I suppose you know someone who can restore the fixtures too, Morgan?”

“Of course I do. Restored and rewired to code.”

“I shouldn’t have asked.” Gibbs shook his head with a grin. “I’ll bring the fixtures down for you on sometime later tonight. I’m a bit surprised you didn’t want to restore the rear porch that got enclosed sometime between when this place was built and when Shannon and I bought it. The only room we never used was that one.”

“It’s not an unusual alteration.” Morgan leaned back against the archway and crossed his arms over his chest. “You might want to tie it in to the rest of the house with Arts and Crafts details. Of course, it would make a fantastic porch.”

“It’s drafty as hell right now.” Gibbs shrugged one shoulder. “Up to you, Tim.”

Gibbs watched as Tim looked at him. He could see a wealth of questions in his lover’s eyes but none of them were voiced. Instead, Tim took the album back from Reid and placed it on the table with the color samples. “When the weather warms up again, put it back.” Tim chuckled at the surprised look from Morgan. “It’s getting too cold to do the outside this year but when the weather warms up in the spring. You can restore the porch, properly finish the rear deck and paint the house’s exterior properly.” Tim glanced over at Gibbs as he spoke. “I’ll raid my royalties if I need to.”

“Sounds like a plan.” Morgan rubbed his hands together in a way that made Gibbs itch to head slap him. Yet, he could also hear the slight tease in Morgan’s voice as he spoke. “Finishing this place up in the spring will be at the head of the projects list.”

Two phones chirruped. Everyone reached for theirs before paired groans escaped Reid and Morgan. Morgan frowned at his as Reid answered his phone. Tim just laughed softly. “We’ll get things ready for when you’re back and able to finish. Just give us a call beforehand.”

“Deal.” Morgan clapped Tim on the shoulder. “Finish laying out what you want in the kitchen. That’s the biggest project left. Painting and wallpapering don’t take long.”

With a chorus of good lucks and happy hunting from Gibbs’s team and a wave from Reid back at them, the two FBI agents headed out the door. They were soon followed by the still arguing team. Gibbs dropped onto the sofa with a sigh before wrapping an arm around Tim as he settled beside him. “Why didn’t you tell me it would be this much work?”

“Didn’t want to scare you off.” Tim shifted around so he could lay on the sofa with his head pillowed on Gibbs’s thigh. Gibbs automatically started stroking his fingers through Tim’s hair. “Plus it snowballed from the original idea. The end product will be worth all the work, distraction and money though.”


	24. Chapter 24

**CHAPTER TWENTY-FOUR**

Tim had been right. Gibbs had to concede the point when he walked into the house after a mess of an undercover job with Tobias Fornell three weeks later. Apparently, during the time he’d been stuck playing gun for hire with Tobias, Tim had gotten together with Morgan and Reid and finished the house. Not only had all the painting and papering been finished but the fixtures were restored and there was a new, more fitting front door. Tim had kept him updated during the rare late night check-ins during the operation. Drained, tired, and only wanting to see his lover, Gibbs had finally returned home after the debriefings only to discover that his new front door apparently had a working lock on it. How’d he discover this? By trying to open the door and walking right into it when it didn’t budge. It was a bit disturbing to have to knock on his own front door. When Tim opened it, with Fuzzie tucked under his arm again, Gibbs stalked by him only to stop in shock at the sight of his living room.

All of which brought him to this moment and the soft thud of Tim dropping the cat to the floor behind him. Gibbs just stood there, staring at the changes in his living room, and slowly set his duffle bag on the floor. It wasn’t the restoration of the original wallpaper, paint and fixtures, the retouching of the woodwork or even the changed furniture which shocked him. It was the sight of the silver framed pictures lining the mantle over the fireplace. “Tim?”

“I didn’t think you’d mind.” Tim sounded uncertain as he walked up behind him. He wrapped his arms around him as they stood there in the archway to the living room. “The box you’d left on the table got knocked over. I picked out my favorites from the pictures in it when I was putting them back. I had them copied and restored, the originals are back in the box, and then framed to go with the picture of Bridget and me. I hope…”

“I didn’t think you’d want reminders.” Gibbs covered Tim’s hands with his own. “All my exes wanted me to get rid of everything, every little reminder was to be gotten rid of, because they wanted to redo the house completely. As if they could erase…”

“Some things can’t be erased.” Tim stepped around him and cupped his cheek in his hand. He stroked his thumb along Gibbs’s neck. “Nor should they be. Shannon and Kelly are a part of you. They will always be a part of you. You wouldn’t be the Leroy Jethro Gibbs I fell in love with if not for them. I will never ask you to hide them away or forget them. Never.”

“I don’t deserve you.” Gibbs hooked his fingers into Tim’s belt loops and pulled him close. “I really don’t. You should leave me, find someone younger and…”

A kiss cut him off. A hungry kiss just like the first one they’d shared in the basement. Tim broke it and rested his forehead against Gibbs. “It was bad, wasn’t it?”

“Yeah.” Gibbs nodded. He was pulled close and his head urged down onto Tim’s shoulder. “I have no idea how the end of it was kept from the press. It’ll likely break tomorrow. Damned DEA raided the place before we could finish our end of the op. There were kids…”

“Ah, hell, Jethro.” Tim tightened his hold. Gibbs felt his lips brush against his temple. “What do you need tonight?”

“To forget.” Gibbs pulled back and stared at him. “I need to forget what I saw… heard… but I don’t want to hurt you.”

“You would never hurt me.” Tim smiled as he took another step back. “Why don’t you head on up while I make sure everything’s locked up?”

“I’m going to take a shower.” Gibbs nodded and wrapped a hand around the back of Tim’s neck. He pulled him in and took a kiss. “I need to get that stink off me.”

“I’ll be up soon.”

Gibbs considered his lover for a long silent moment. Leaving everything he’d brought in with him on the floor, he headed up the stairs. He stripped off his clothes as he headed through the bedroom for the shower. Turning on the water as hot as he could stand, he stepped inside and let it beat down on him. Gibbs wondered if Tim really meant what he said. None of his exes could handle when he needed to let go after a bad op. No one since Shannon and it’d taken her a bit to get used to it. Though in Shannon’s case, he’d already started to come down from the anger and frustration by the time he’d see her, all of the required debriefings by the brass helping to calm him down before he came home. No, it had been the ex-wives who couldn’t handle him and eventually left when he wasn’t the man they wanted him to be. Question now was would Tim be able to handle it.

Stepping out of the shower, Gibbs haphazardly toweled off. He tossed the towel in the general direction of the bar and stalked out of the room. He was still wired, still edgy, but the sight of Tim’s naked ass as he bent over their bed to turn the covers back refocused his attention. A soft growl escaped him as he watched Tim. He stalked over and grabbed his lover around the waist. He jerked Tim back against him while sliding one hand around to stroke up his chest. He urged Tim to straighten up, back to his chest, and all but snarled in his ear. “You sure, Tim?”

“Told you.” Tim leaned his head back against his shoulder. “You won’t hurt me. Fuck me, Jethro.”

Gibbs slid his hand up higher and urged Tim to turn his head. He claimed a kiss. Permission given, Gibbs didn’t know if he could hold onto his control enough not to hurt Tim. Breaking the kiss, he pushed Tim toward the bed. His voice was rough and tight when he spoke. “Hands and knees, Tim.”

He watched the play of Tim’s muscles beneath his skin as the young man crawled onto the bed. He licked his lips and groaned as Tim looked over his shoulder at him before tossing him the lube bottle. Gibbs caught it with one hand and tilted his head to the side just a bit. A soft laugh escaped him as he climbed onto the bed. He knelt behind Tim and stroked one hand up his back until he could trace the spiral pattern he could just see when he tilted his head the right way. “So, that’s where it is.”

“Oh fuck, Jethro.” The sentence was barely audible though the moan which escaped Tim. “Gods… shit…”

Gibbs popped the cap on the lube with his other hand while the first continued to trace the barely visible design on Tim’s back. Every time he paused, Tim would arch his back as if demanding more petting. When he continued, he’d get a string of curses interspersed with deep moans and groans. With the tiny portion of his mind not buried beneath the hunger to fuck Tim, Gibbs made a note to ask Tim about his reaction to him touching the tattoo.

Dropping the lube, Gibbs slid his fingers down Tim’s ass. He pressed the pads of his fingers against his entrance for the briefest of moments. When Tim thrust his hips back, he pressed inside. He fucked Tim with his fingers, coating him as quickly as possible before removing his fingers and replacing them with his cock. Gibbs thrust hard. His hands wrapped around Tim’s hips as he buried himself in him in one thrust. He paused for a moment, his breath escaping him in a hiss as Tim cried out beneath him. He watched as Tim dropped his shoulders, arching his back as he rested his face on his crossed arms.

“Do it, Jethro.” Tim craned neck and all but glared at him over his shoulder. “I’m not made of glass. Now fuck me.”

Gibbs took his lover at his word. He fucked him hard. This wasn’t their usual intense lovemaking nor the fast, furious sex of their first time. No, this was fucking – hard and rough – as Gibbs drowned out the voices in his head with the sounds of Tim moaning and crying out for more. He was just with it enough to reach around and roughly stroke Tim’s cock as he neared his orgasm. Gibbs bent over Tim and pressed his lips to his ear. “Come, Tim. Come now.” He sank his teeth into the back of Tim’s shoulder. He knew he’d leave a mark and didn’t care. Tim was his. It was damn well time everyone knew it.

Tim bucked beneath him. A strangled scream escaped him as his body went taut. Gibbs lifted his head and watched as he fucked Tim through his orgasm. As Tim went limp beneath him, Gibbs pressed him down into the bed and thrust once, twice, and then threw his own head back as a half-sob, half- groan escaped him as he came. He collapsed down onto Tim’s back and rested his forehead against the nape of his neck. “You okay?”

Tim panted for breath for a couple of minutes before turning his head enough to kiss the side of his mouth. Gibbs was just about ready to repeat the question when Tim smiled at him. “Never better.” The faintest hint of a blush colored his cheeks as his smile widened. “But you’re a bit heavy.”

Gibbs couldn’t help the laugh that escaped him. He rolled off Tim to lie beside him on his back. He grumbled a curse then reached beneath himself to pull the lube bottle out from under the small of his back. When Tim laughed, he chucked it as his lover’s head; the attempted correction failed when Tim caught the bottle. Gibbs watched Tim, relaxed for the first time since the DEA fucked the operation to hell, and lifted an eyebrow as his lover rose slowly from the bed. As he watched, Tim dropped the lube into the drawer of the bedside table and headed for the bath. He soon returned with a washcloth in one hand.

“Can you talk about it now?” Tim asked the question softly as he ran the cloth over his body. Gibbs considered for a moment and nodded. “Good. I’ll be right back.”

“Where…?” Gibbs didn’t get to finish he question. Tim rose, tossed the cloth through the bathroom door, and headed for the dresser. He was back before Gibbs could do more than prop himself up on his elbows. Tim settled beside him again and handed him a tumbler of bourbon. Gibbs immediately tossed off half of it. “I needed that.”

“Thought you might.” Tim settled into the bed. He pulled the covers up over them and flicked off all but one small low wattage lamp. “I’m here. Whatever you need, I’m here and I’m not going anywhere.”


	25. Chapter 25

**CHAPTER TWENTY-FIVE**

It had been a very long night. Gibbs talked for hours before succumbing to a restless sleep. Then, he’d woken at the crack of dawn. Tim pretended to be asleep as Gibbs crept out of their bed. He’d listened as the soft creaks of the stairs echoed through the house. It was obvious Gibbs was still upset by what happened on the op. Tim waited until the faintest echoes of sanding drifted up through the ductwork. Only then did he sit up and rub a hand tiredly over his face. He slumped on the side of the bed while listening to his lover meticulously sand wood in the basement. He knew Gibbs would brood over these events until something distracted him from the memories again.

With a soft sigh, Tim reached out and shifted the picture frame on his bedside table. Tucked behind it was a small leather covered box. Plucking the box from the table, he rolled it back and forth between his hands before laughing softly. He tossed it up once as he rose and caught it while standing beside the bed. He turned back to the bed and tilted his head at the two animals now curled up together in the middle of the messed up bedding. “Well?”

Eirlys, his personal Hound, yelped softly at him while Fuzzie murruped. Then both looked at each other and seemed to say ‘humans’ before settling down together and closing their eyes. Shaking his head at their antics, Tim scrounged up a pair of jeans and pulled them on. He zipped them up but didn’t bother to button the pants. He tucked the box into his jeans pocket. He then headed downstairs and paused to start the coffee maker brewing. He retrieved the black light he’d borrowed from the lab a few days ago. Light in hand, he descended the basement stairs and sprawled on the landing closest to the bottom. “We lost our bed to the pets.”

“Did we?”

“Yup.” Tim chuckled as he shifted to stretch out one leg before him. “Eirlys and Fuzzie are curled up together right in the middle of the bed.”

“We’re bigger than they are.” Gibbs looked over at him with a soft chuckle. “They’ll move.”

“Have you ever tried to move a cat that didn’t want to move?”

“Nope.”

“There’s a reason they refer to impossible tasks as ‘herding cats’.” Tim pulled one leg up and draped an arm over his upraised knee. “While you were gone, I met with a couple of friends. I needed to introduce Tony to them. It really surprised me when Tony didn’t flirt at all with either of them. I asked why. He said that flirting would be unfaithful and he didn’t need a concussion from dual head slaps.”

“He’s grown up on us. Knew he’d do it eventually.” Gibbs smiled over at him. He set the wood he was sanding aside and turned on his stool to face him. “Are you trying to seduce me posing like that?”

“Nope.” Tim chuckled at the disappointed look on Gibbs face. “I’m just getting comfortable while I talk to you. And since I know you rather well now, you might want to move all that stuff on the table there off to one side.”

“Will I?”

“Yup.” Tim watched as Gibbs moved things around on the table he was using as a workspace until the portion right in front of him was completely cleared off. “While I was visiting, Robin reminded me of one of the basic tenets of modern magick. They work in a different tradition than me but are also sometime members of my Hunting Party. You’ll meet them eventually too.” Tim rose to his feet and held the lamp he’d carried down at Gibbs. “Plug this in for me?”

“Sure. Keep talking.”

“After I talked to Robin, I got together with another old friend and got his help making a gift.” Tim waited for Gibbs to turn back to him with the lamp in his hand. He pulled the box out of his pocket and set it on the table between them. “We haven’t officially stated it publically, but you are my Consort. If you’re willing, I’m offering you this…”

Tim bit his lower lip hard as Gibbs put the lamp down on the table. He clenched his hands for a moment before reaching for the lamp. He watched as Gibbs cautiously lifted the box before flipping it open. The only reaction, a single raised eyebrow followed by a glance at the lamp Tim now held again.

“Tim?”

“I know we can’t legally marry. And I know that because of official military policy and your Ready Reserve status, we can’t officially confirm that we’re together, but…”

“Yes.”

“Yes?” Tim blinked at Gibbs in surprise at the interruption. “I…”

“I told you years ago, you’re mine.” Gibbs pointed at the lamp. “Though I am wondering why you have that if you’re unofficially marrying me.”

“Oh.” Tim laughed and propped the lamp up against a piece of wood on the table. He turned it on and reached above the range of the light to take the box back. “Turn off the other light and then come here. I’ll show you why I needed to get help to get this made.”

“Okay…” Gibbs drawled out the word as he turned off the single bare bulb in the basement. “Now I’m really curious.”

Tim took the ring out of the box and dropped it onto the table out of the way. He took Gibbs hand and pulled it down into the range of the lamp. As he slipped the ring into place on Gibbs’s hand, he heard Gibbs’s sharply indrawn breath. “Yes, Jethro, you’re seeing right.” He chuckled as he clasped Gibbs’s hand between his own hands. “The knotwork in the center of the ring’s band matches the banding in my tattoos.”

Before he could continue, Gibbs pulled him around the table. He was thoroughly kissed then turned and pushed forward until he was lying beside the lamp. He felt Gibbs’s hands stroke up his spine before fingers traced the tattoo in the middle of his back. “So that’s what it looks like.” Gibbs’s voice was soft and slightly stunned. “That had to hurt like a son of a bitch.”

“I like when you do that though.” Tim hissed in his breath then released it on a soft moan. “Makes up for the pain when I got it.”

“Do you now?” A wicked chuckle echoed from behind him. Tim shivered as Gibbs fingers traced the pattern of the tattoo on his back. Every touch increased his arousal. “Did you think to bring…”

“I left a bottle down here while you were gone.”

“Where?” Tim shuddered at the harshly spoken command. He levered himself up onto his elbows and tilted his head toward the work bench. A firm hand pushed him down again. “Don’t move…” Gibbs words trailed off as he walked away from him. “Second thought, strip.”

Tim hurriedly kicked off his jeans. He was very glad he’d decided to go commando on is trip to the basement. He was ready when Gibbs turned back toward him with the lube in hand. “How do you want me?”

“Any way I can have you.” Gibbs smirked as he crossed the room to join him. “Can you…?” Gibbs twirled one finger in the air beside him.

“Yeah.” Tim reached behind himself and hopped up onto the worktable. He held his hands out to Gibbs and waited until the other man was standing in front of him. He then closed his eyes for a moment, casting the circle in silence and stillness, and then smiled at Gibbs. “Done. Can you…?”

“Yep.” Gibbs seemed to consider him for a moment before a kiss was lightly brushed over his lips. He started to speak but Gibbs pressed a finger to his lips. That finger traced down his body. Then Gibbs lightly pressed him backwards to lie on the table top. Another kiss was pressed to his heart, one to his navel, and Tim shuddered and moaned as he realized what Gibbs was doing. A final kiss was pressed to the tip of cock. Tim panted, shocked by the actions, and watched Gibbs stand to strip off his own clothes.

“Gods, Jethro...” He breathed the words into the expectant silence. He wanted to move, to touch, yet he also knew that if he did, it would shatter whatever was now happening between them. “I want...”

“I know.”

Gibbs reversed the pattern of kisses as he climbed up onto the table until he was lying flat atop Tim who moaned as Gibbs claimed his mouth in a deep kiss. Tim arched into the kiss and broke it with a gasp as Gibbs grabbed his hands and pulled them over his head. Pinned to the table beneath his lover, Tim felt possessed, owned, and reveled in it. For the first time in his adult life, he felt like he belonged; he was home. Tim broke the kiss and struggled for breath. “Jethro...”

“Hush.” Gibbs kissed him again. Then trailed his lips along Tim’s jaw to his ear. A shudder raced through his body as Gibbs teased his skin with his tongue. “I told you, Tim. I know.”

“Please.” Tim arched his neck and moaned. He clenched his hands on Gibbs’s as his lover teased at the skin of his throat. “I...”

A kiss cut him off. He moaned into it and, once freed by Gibbs, wrapped his arms around the other man’s neck. He needed the grounding of touch, of feeling Gibbs over and against him, as his senses spiraled out of control. Every touch seemed so magnified, deeper, more... just more... and he panted for breath as the kiss broke. Calloused hands swept over his skin. Fingers teased at his nipples before drifting down to briefly stroke his cock. Tim arched into Gibbs, almost sobbing, and whined deep in his throat. “Goddess, Jethro... need you... want you...”

“What do you want?” Gibbs gave him that overly pleased look he’d perfected – not quite a smirk, but not a grin either – and one finger drifted down past his balls to tease at his entrance. “Come’n, Tim, tell me.”

“Take me.” Tim tangled his fingers in Gibbs hair and pulled him back down for another deep kiss. “Fuck the preliminaries and take me.”

“Some things can’t be rushed.” A click echoed around them. Slick fingers pressed against him. Tim moaned and thrust against them. Gibbs chuckled, backing off a bit until Tim gave in and settled down again, and then he returned to teasing him. “You’re beautiful like this,” he purred, “wild, wanton, and marked by the gods.”

“I love you too.” Tim smiled as Gibbs sucked in a sharp breath. “Now get on with it.”

“Brat.”

Before Tim could retaliate, two fingers thrust deep inside him. Tim’s breath caught in his throat. “Yes...”  He hissed with the delicious pleasure pain which came with the sudden penetration. He wanted more, needed more, and rode those fingers in search of the pleasure held just out of his reach. “Gods, yes... Jethro!”

The fingers withdrew, leaving him empty and panting, yet before he could protest, Gibbs was there. Over him, around him, in him and Tim cried out in shocked pleasure as his lover drove deep inside him in one hard driving thrust. They moved together and quickly found their rhythm. Pleasure spiraled and twisted within him the closer he got to orgasm. Tim could hear himself begging yet didn’t care. Everything he was tautly focused on Gibbs. A cry which became a whine caught in his throat as his lover pulled almost out of him before stilling, keeping him on the very edge of climax, and smiled down at him. “Jethro... please, please...”

“You’re mine.”

“Yes.”

“No.” Gibbs somehow shifted his weight in order to catch Tim’s hands in his own yet didn’t slide back into his body. He was pinned to the table by Gibbs weight and his hands. He half-sobbed, half-whined as he writhed beneath the other man. “Say it, Tim. Say you’re mine.”

“Yours.” Tim gasped the word out. He stared up at Gibbs. One part of him was absolutely terrified of what Gibbs was demanding from him; the rest wanted it with every bit of power in him. He licked his lips and nodded again. “For time and eternity, Leroy Jethro Gibbs, I’m yours.”

“Mine.” The word was hissed softly. Gibbs moved and thrust deep inside him. Tim arched with a scream of pleasure pain as the missing piece of his soul snapped into place inside him. He clung to Gibbs, nails digging into the other man’s shoulders, and barely heard Gibbs’s response to him as his climax swamped his senses. “As you are mine, I am yours.”

Tim collapsed onto the table. He felt totally fucked out. He panted for breath and stroked a trembling hand over Gibbs’s shoulders. He pressed a kiss to Gibbs’s temple and hummed softly. “Goddess, that was...”

“Yeah.” Gibbs’s voice shook slightly as he murmured in his ear.  “Bed.”

“In a bit.” Tim chuckled ruefully. “Don’t think I can move yet.”

“Me either.” Gibbs kissed him as he eased out of his body. He then climbed down to stand beside the table. Tim hummed softly as he watched Gibbs stretch as he stood between his legs. “This table isn’t up for this. So, bed, get what sleep we can. My gut says we’re going to get a rough one soon.”

Tim mock glared at his lover before holding his hands out to him. He let Gibbs pull him up and then draped his arms around his neck. He pulled him into a leisurely kiss while mentally dispersing the circle. He pulled back when the need to breath overwhelmed the need to taste Gibbs. “You couldn’t just propose like normal people?”

“What’s normal about us?” Gibbs laughed and headed for the stairs. He paused at the bottom. Tim almost stumbled into him when he stopped. “Besides, you said I was your Consort. Just claiming you properly in return.”

“So I did.” Tim pressed against Gibbs and kissed him again. “And so you did. Let’s get to bed before something drags us to the Yard.”

**EPILOGUE**

Tim shifted his backpack on his shoulder as he joined Tony in the elevator for the short ride to the bullpen. The older man looked unusually rested and happy, two signs that Tim was rapidly discovering meant he’d spent some time in the Otherworld overnight. Unable to resist the urge, he decided to tease Tony the way he’d always teased him. “So, how was your date last night?”

“Like I’m going to tell you.”

“Oh, you will…” Tim led the way off the elevator. “You’re so damned cheerful right now.”

“I could say the same.” Tony stopped and turned to face Tim. “So, how was your date?”

“Who said I had one?”

Tony reached out and poked Tim in the neck just beneath his ear. Tim felt himself blushing in response to the touch. He knew what was right there. It was Gibbs favorite place to mark him. He shook his head and grumbled a bit before smiling at Tony. “It was great until Ziva…” Tim trailed off as he caught sight of a familiar brown leather jacket tossed over a credenza.

“Ziva what?”

“Ziva’s here.” Tim looked up and smiled as Ziva started toward them from the other side of the bullpen. In her arms, she carried a medium size plant while around her neck hung a visitor’s pass. Still, she was actually here. She smiled at them both as she took her seat and began logging into the system.

Tim headed for his own desk. He dropped his pack behind it and tossed his coat over the cubicle wall. He reached forward to start up his computer and watched as Tony dropped his backpack and slipped off his coat to hang it over the back of his chair. Tony tucked his guns away in a drawer and picked up his phone to check his messages. Tim logged in and watched the room. Now, as Ziva shared a smile with him and Tony, now it felt right. They were together… a team… and now it was time to hunt, to stop the dark and maintain the balance… on all levels.


End file.
